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
The baking soda and vinegar work together to dislodge and loosen gunk blocking the drain.
—
Shagun Khare, The Spruce, 1 Apr. 2026
Enhancing the extraterrestrial vibe are the two clear, plastic tubes (called drains) sprouting from their heads, through which all manner of blood and ooze exit the face, dripping into suction bulbs that dangle below their ears, storing the gunk.
—Jolene Edgar, Allure, 16 Mar. 2026
Fresh off a surprise cosign from Aespa member Giselle, zayok is one of the leaders of an amorphous digital scene that includes gunk and sydney runner, whose music iterates on carbine-y wonkiness to form a new kind of balladry halfway between SoundCloud IDM, rap, and voice memo.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 13 Mar. 2026
The Columbia Venturetrot Boot is made out of vulcanized rubber (hardened by heat and sulfur) for durability, and mud and gunk just slide right off of it.
—Lisa Jhung, Outside, 11 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gunk
Shagun Khare, The Spruce, 1 Apr. 2026
Enhancing the extraterrestrial vibe are the two clear, plastic tubes (called drains) sprouting from their heads, through which all manner of blood and ooze exit the face, dripping into suction bulbs that dangle below their ears, storing the gunk.
—Jolene Edgar, Allure, 16 Mar. 2026
Fresh off a surprise cosign from Aespa member Giselle, zayok is one of the leaders of an amorphous digital scene that includes gunk and sydney runner, whose music iterates on carbine-y wonkiness to form a new kind of balladry halfway between SoundCloud IDM, rap, and voice memo.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 13 Mar. 2026
The Columbia Venturetrot Boot is made out of vulcanized rubber (hardened by heat and sulfur) for durability, and mud and gunk just slide right off of it.
—Lisa Jhung, Outside, 11 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gunk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gunk
Noun
-
Leaves, dirt, and other things that clog the tiny spaces between the fins can cause premature failure of this very expensive machine!—
Tim Carter,
Hartford Courant,
16 May 2026
-
If possible, vacuum out coils; this helps improve efficiency since dirt will get dislodged.—
Ashlyn Needham,
The Spruce,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
To clean door seals, if applicable, use vinegar or other cleaners to help keep out mold and muck.—
Ashlyn Needham,
The Spruce,
16 May 2026
-
But during World War II, about 20,000 acres of Lake Apopka’s north shore were drained and converted into muck farms to grow vegetables needed to feed troops for a nation at war with Axis forces in Europe, Africa and the Pacific.—
Stephen Hudak,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
For gardeners, or hope-to-be gardeners, summer is the season to try to new plants, design a new garden bed, amend soil, and more.—
Hiranmayi Srinivasan,
Better Homes & Gardens,
17 May 2026
-
The tests are intended to evaluate how the product performs across a range of soils, climates, and agricultural conditions.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
17 May 2026
Noun
-
Lake Erie froze solid that year, but Dwight said the toxic sludge at the bottom of the river and the sheen of oil across the top would keep the Cuyahoga from freezing.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 May 2026
-
In February, the Johnson County commissioners issued a disaster declaration after PFAS chemicals were discovered in soil, water and animal tissue samples collected from agricultural land on which fertilizer made from sewage sludge was used.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
The remaining flood water quickly turned toxic with an acrid mix of sewage and fuel oil used for heating, cooking and fueling snowmobiles and ATVs.—
Ella Nilsen,
CNN Money,
17 May 2026
-
Out back, a small sewage-treatment plant converts bodily waste from two flanking portable toilets into purified water, which is piped into a large tank in which yet another unclothed woman, wearing a scuba mouthpiece, floats for four hours at a time.—
Sebastian Smee,
The Atlantic,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
The two then proceeded to beat the crud out of each other.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
20 Apr. 2026
-
That includes self emptying debris into a washable bin that should hold up to a month's worth of crud, cleaning its own mop pad with hot water and drying it with hot air, and self-refilling with clean water from a tank inside its dock.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Some argue that parking, sewer and garbage – the infrastructure designed for single-family homes – is being stretched too thin.—
Lee Cowan,
CBS News,
17 May 2026
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However, the playoffs have delivered over and over to viewers and rewarded us for putting up with garbage regular-season games.—
David Troy,
FOXNews.com,
16 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gunk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gunk. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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