bunk
bunk — noun
- bunksingular
- bunksplural
1. one of a pair of beds built one directly above the other, commonly used in share
one of a pair of beds built one directly above the other, commonly used in shared bedrooms, dormitories, or hostels to save floor space
Quinn sleeps in the bottom bunk, and his younger brother takes the top one.
collocation: top bunk / bottom bunk
The mountain hostel has twelve bunk beds in one large room, each with a small reading light and a curtain.
bunk bed = two bunks stacked
When the grandchildren visit, Salma folds down the spare bunk from the wall of the study.
Liang climbed carefully from the top bunk, trying not to wake the person sleeping below him.
A wooden ladder leads up to the upper bunk, which has a safety rail along the side.
- bunk bed
refers to the whole piece of furniture, not a single sleeping level
文法句型
bunk + bed
top/bottom + bunk
用法筆記
Often used in the compound 'bunk bed' to refer to the whole unit. The individual sleeping levels are called 'top bunk' and 'bottom bunk'.
常見錯誤
2. a sleeping place built into the wall of a ship's cabin, railway carriage, or car
a sleeping place built into the wall of a ship's cabin, railway carriage, or caravan — it is usually narrow and may be part of a set of stacked berths
Elena spent the night on the lower bunk of the sleeper train from Kaohsiung to Taipei.
collocation: lower bunk / upper bunk
Each cabin on the ferry has four bunks with a privacy curtain and a small shelf for personal items.
Brandon stored his backpack under the bunk and stretched his legs out on the thin mattress.
The ship's bunks are narrow but comfortable enough for a two-night journey across the strait.
Passengers in the couchette car share a compartment with six fold-down bunks and a small table by the window.
用法筆記
On ships, 'bunk' and 'berth' are often used interchangeably. On trains, 'bunk' is more common in British English, while 'berth' or 'couchette' may be used in official schedules.
常見錯誤
3. ideas, statements, or information that are stupid, false, or not worth taking se
ideas, statements, or information that are stupid, false, or not worth taking seriously — often used to dismiss a claim the speaker finds ridiculous
Joshua's teacher told the class that the claim about instant weight-loss pills was complete bunk.
intensifier: complete bunk / sheer bunk
Rachid refused to listen to any more of that bunk about the pyramids being built by aliens.
The article was full of bunk, yet thousands of people shared it on social media before anyone checked the facts.
Don't believe that bunk — the exam is not open-book, so you will still need to study the material.
A reputable scientist would never publish such bunk in a peer-reviewed journal.
- truth
factual, reliable information
用法筆記
Informal and mildly dismissive. Stronger than 'nonsense' in some contexts. Can be intensified with 'sheer', 'complete', or 'pure'. Derived from 'bunkum', the original term for empty political speech.
常見錯誤
4. a storage container for fuel, especially at a roadside filling station; also use
a storage container for fuel, especially at a roadside filling station; also used in Indian English to mean a petrol station
Arjun stopped at the petrol bunk on the highway to fill up his scooter before continuing south.
collocation: petrol bunk (Indian English)
The diesel bunk at the edge of town offers the cheapest fuel in the district.
Truck drivers along this route know which fuel bunk has clean toilets and fresh tea.
The farm keeps a small fuel bunk near the barn to power the tractor and the irrigation pump.
- fuel tank
the general term for the container
- petrol station
British English for a filling station
- gas station
American English for a filling station
用法筆記
In Indian English, 'petrol bunk' is the standard term for a filling station. Outside South Asia, this sense is rare and usually replaced by 'fuel tank', 'petrol station', or 'gas station'.
5. a hasty and secret departure from a place, typically to avoid a difficult situat
a hasty and secret departure from a place, typically to avoid a difficult situation, unpaid debts, or responsibility
The tenant did a bunk at midnight, leaving the furniture and three months of unpaid rent behind.
fixed phrase: do a bunk (British informal)
When the health inspectors arrived at the restaurant, the manager did a bunk through the back kitchen door.
The teenager did a bunk from boarding school and hitchhiked all the way back to his hometown.
Rather than face his angry neighbours, Mr. Henderson did a bunk and was never seen on this street again.
- stay and face
the opposite action: remain to deal with a situation
文法句型
do a bunk
用法筆記
Always used in the fixed phrase 'do a bunk'. Almost exclusively British informal. The idiom carries a sense of dishonesty or cowardice — the person leaves to escape consequence, not just for adventure.
常見錯誤
6. a temporary or improvised sleeping place, built or set up on the spot from simpl
a temporary or improvised sleeping place, built or set up on the spot from simple materials when no proper bed is available — for example, a blanket on the floor, a pile of hay in a barn, or a plank between two crates
The hikers built a bunk out of pine branches and spare blankets near the dying campfire.
collocation: make a bunk out of [materials]
Amihan slept on the rough wooden bunk inside the mountain hut, glad to be out of the wind.
During the flood relief operation, volunteers slept on canvas bunks set up in the school gymnasium.
The cowboy stretched out on the bunk in the back of the wagon, using his saddle as a pillow.
7. a long open container used on farms to hold food for livestock, especially cattl
a long open container used on farms to hold food for livestock, especially cattle, so that several animals can eat from it at the same time
The farmer fills the cattle bunk with hay every morning before the sun comes up.
collocation: cattle bunk
The calves pushed each other aside to reach the grain at the centre of the feed bunk.
The dairy farm installed concrete feed bunks along both sides of the barn to reduce waste.
Every evening the rancher checks the feed bunks to make sure none of the livestock is sick or injured.
用法筆記
This sense is almost exclusively used in farming and agricultural contexts. A non-farming reader is unlikely to encounter it. The more common word for this object is 'feed trough' or simply 'trough'.
bunk — verb
- bunkpresent simple I / you / we / they
- bunks3rd person singular
- bunking-ing form
- bunkedpast simple
1. to sleep somewhere for the night, especially in a simple or shared bed or at a t
to sleep somewhere for the night, especially in a simple or shared bed or at a temporary place such as a friend's house or a cheap lodging
We bunked at a roadside inn after driving through the storm for six hours.
pattern: bunk at [a place]
Quinn and his teammates bunked in the school gym during the three-day basketball tournament.
Élise bunked with a friend in a tiny apartment near the university campus until she found her own place.
During the festival, volunteers bunk in large tents set up in the park behind the main stage.
The soldiers bunked in abandoned farmhouses for three nights while crossing the mountain pass.
- crash
even more informal; implies a last-minute or unplanned stay
- sleep over
neutral register; mainly used for children or friends
文法句型
bunk + at/in a place
bunk + with someone
用法筆記
Informal and suggests a casual or temporary sleeping arrangement. More commonly used in the past tense ('bunked') than the present. Often implies sharing space or making do with basic accommodation.
常見錯誤
2. to give someone a place to sleep, especially by providing a simple or shared bed
to give someone a place to sleep, especially by providing a simple or shared bed in a room, hall, or other space
The charity bunked the homeless families in a heated community hall with camp beds and blankets.
passive possible: [someone] is bunked in [a place]
The guesthouse owner bunked twelve climbers in one large room on simple wooden beds.
We can bunk the extra guests on foldable cots in the living room if they don't mind the sofa arrangement.
The organisers bunked the volunteers in the school gymnasium on rows of thin mattresses.
- put up
more common, neutral register
- accommodate
more formal, broader meaning
- house
implies a longer-term arrangement
- turn away
to refuse accommodation to someone
文法句型
bunk + someone + in/at a place
用法筆記
Less common than the intransitive sense. Usually describes the action of an organiser, host, or institution arranging temporary sleeping space for a group of people. Frequently used in the passive voice.