as in dirt
foul matter that mars the purity or cleanliness of something
I have to wash my hands; I got gunk all over them somehow
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gunk
This helps push through any gunk stuck in the pipes.
—
Kaity Kline, NPR, 24 Mar. 2025
What you're left with is a mass of sticky gunk which slowly thickens and then dries out, creating what the expert says is a rock-solid clog.
—Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 May 2025
The non-drying, see-through patches are packed with hydrocolloids to draw out gunk from your blemishes and keep you from picking, pinching, and making every aspect of your breakout 100 times worse.
—Annie Blackman, Allure, 21 Apr. 2025
Wash away stacks of gunk, grime and sticky messes with ease.
—Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gunk
Kaity Kline, NPR, 24 Mar. 2025
What you're left with is a mass of sticky gunk which slowly thickens and then dries out, creating what the expert says is a rock-solid clog.
—Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 May 2025
The non-drying, see-through patches are packed with hydrocolloids to draw out gunk from your blemishes and keep you from picking, pinching, and making every aspect of your breakout 100 times worse.
—Annie Blackman, Allure, 21 Apr. 2025
Wash away stacks of gunk, grime and sticky messes with ease.
—Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gunk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gunk
Noun
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The crowd was filled with men and women whose daily jobs leave them with dirt under their nails and pride in their chests because of their impact on everyone’s lives.—
Salena Zito,
The Washington Examiner,
6 June 2025
-
Alcaraz improved to 21-1 on clay this year, winning titles on the dirt in Rome — beating Sinner in the final after the Italian returned from his doping ban — and Monte Carlo.—
Jerome Pugmire,
Baltimore Sun,
6 June 2025
Noun
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Given her past record of almost never getting into the muck of rumors around her personal life, the latter speculations make better sense.—
Sweta Kaushal,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2025
-
Justin has been dragged into the muck since March 2024, when he was briefly detained at his father’s L.A. mansion the day of the feds’ raid (the rap star’s Star Island mansion got hit up by Homeland Security, too).—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
21 May 2025
Noun
-
For many fans from Iran, this tournament could be a rare chance to watch their team play on American soil—an opportunity made even more meaningful by decades of political estrangement.—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 June 2025
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Rather than replicating French haute cuisine, chefs like Claus Meyer and René Redzepi (of Noma fame) called for a culinary identity rooted in Nordic soil, climate and heritage.—
David Nikel,
Forbes.com,
5 June 2025
Noun
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Guests can sign up to walk to the canal and toss in Genki balls, filled with microorganisms that eat away at the sludge in the canal created from manmade pollutants.—
Jalyn Robinson,
Travel + Leisure,
25 May 2025
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Reichardt’s previous films, such as her retro Westerns Meek’s Cutoff and First Cow, have tended towards sludge and shadows, but her competition closer opens with the golden leaves of a New England fall, slightly faded to the paler golds of an Ektachrome postcard of the era.—
Stephanie Bunbury,
Deadline,
23 May 2025
Noun
-
Raw sewage becomes a concern in Hartford, along with the stability of large oil and gasoline tanks.—
Staff report,
Hartford Courant,
14 June 2025
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In addition, untreated sewage commonly contains potentially hazardous compounds, such as pharmaceuticals, illicit drugs and biocides, a category including pesticides and antiseptics.—
Nara Schoenberg,
Chicago Tribune,
13 June 2025
Noun
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This isn't just unsanitary—the buildup of crud could eventually interfere with your mixer's moving parts.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
19 May 2025
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This entry’s crud, on the other hand, is piled digitally in an INBOX.—
Sam Corbin,
New York Times,
13 May 2025
Noun
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With the welcome citywide expansion of organic collection (brown bins) joining with paper (green bins) and metal, glass and plastic (blue bins), the remaining black bag garbage will be made of nonrecyclable items like those same thin plastics that Sims rejects that are used for wrapping or bags.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
8 June 2025
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Patients may pass tissue and dispose of it in the garbage or toilet.—
Jen Christensen,
CNN Money,
6 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gunk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gunk. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
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