punk

punk — noun

1. a youth culture that started in the 1970s, whose members express anger toward au

1.名詞B2
釋義

a youth culture that started in the 1970s, whose members express anger toward authority through aggressive music, unusual hairstyles, and deliberately shocking clothes

例句

Lucas found a book about the punk movement that changed London in the late 1970s.

collocation: punk movement

The punk subculture let young people express anger about politics and unemployment.

uncountable: the punk subculture

同義詞

用法筆記

This sense refers to the historical cultural movement, not to individual people. Distinguish from sense 2 (FOLLOWER OF PUNK), which describes a person who takes part in that culture.

常見錯誤

❌Punk was just music, not a way of life.
✅Punk was both a music style and a way of life for many young people.
💡The subculture included fashion, attitude, and politics, not only music.

2. a person who follows punk culture, wearing its typical clothes such as leather j

2.名詞B1
釋義

a person who follows punk culture, wearing its typical clothes such as leather jackets and torn denim, and listening to punk music

例句

Sirin looked like a punk with her leather jacket, heavy boots, and bright pink hair.

A group of punks waited outside the concert hall, chatting and sharing cigarettes.

countable: a punk / punks

同義詞
  • punk rocker

    emphasises the person's connection to the music rather than the fashion

  • rebel

    a more general term for someone who rejects authority

用法筆記

Can carry a mildly disapproving tone if used by someone outside the punk community. The plural form 'punks' is common.

常見錯誤

❌The punk subculture started in the 1970s' (when referring to a person).
✅Sven is a punk who loves the Ramones.
💡Use sense 1 (YOUTH MOVEMENT) for the culture itself and sense 2 for a person.

3. a fast, loud rock style with simple chord patterns and direct, sometimes angry w

3.名詞B1
釋義

a fast, loud rock style with simple chord patterns and direct, sometimes angry words, first widely played by young musicians around 1977

例句

Sade prefers punk to classical music because she loves fast drums and loud guitars.

The band played punk at full volume and the whole crowd started jumping and shouting.

uncountable: play punk

同義詞
  • punk rock

    slightly more specific; emphasises the rock-music roots

  • hardcore punk

    a faster, more aggressive subgenre that emerged in the early 1980s

用法筆記

Uncountable noun in this sense. You can say 'I like punk' or 'a punk band', but not 'a punk' to mean a song — use 'a punk song' or 'a punk track'.

常見錯誤

❌I listened to a punk on the radio.
✅I listened to a punk song on the radio.
💡'Punk' as a music genre is uncountable; use 'punk song' or 'punk track' for individual pieces.

4. a violent young person, usually male, who commits crimes or operates as part of

4.名詞B2
釋義

a violent young person, usually male, who commits crimes or operates as part of a street gang

例句

A couple of punks tried to steal Ravindra's phone outside the train station after dark.

informal register: disapproving term

The shop owner chased the punk who smashed the window and took the cash.

同義詞
  • hoodlum

    similar meaning but slightly older and more dramatic

  • thug

    emphasises physical violence more than this sense of punk

  • delinquent

    more formal; often used in legal or social-work contexts

用法筆記

This sense is informal and has a negative, disapproving tone. It is older than the music-related senses and was common in American slang from the mid-20th century. Not all young criminals are called 'punks' — the term suggests a cocky, disrespectful attitude.

常見錯誤

❌That punk band is in trouble with the police' (ambiguous — could mean musicians or criminals).
✅That punk robbed the convenience store last night.
💡Use context to disambiguate; this sense is about criminal behaviour, not music.

5. dry, decayed wood that crumbles into dust easily and is used as tinder because i

5.名詞C1
釋義

dry, decayed wood that crumbles into dust easily and is used as tinder because it catches a spark with very little effort

例句

Nikos gathered dry punk from a hollow tree stump to start the campfire before sunset.

domain: camping/survival

The survival instructor showed the class that punk wood burns steadily even in damp weather.

同義詞
  • tinder

    broader term for any material that catches fire easily

  • kindling

    usually refers to small dry sticks rather than decayed wood

用法筆記

Uncountable in this sense. This is the original English meaning of 'punk', dating from the 1600s. It is rarely used in everyday conversation today, mostly by campers and survival enthusiasts.

6. a stick or piece of material that burns slowly without producing a flame, used t

6.名詞C1
釋義

a stick or piece of material that burns slowly without producing a flame, used to light the fuses of fireworks from a safe distance

例句

Emily lit the firework fuse with a long punk while the children watched safely.

domain: fireworks

The seller handed Christopher a punk to light each rocket from a safe distance.

同義詞
  • slow match

    a rope or cord treated to burn slowly, used historically for lighting gunpowder

  • fusee

    a larger friction-match used for emergency flares, not the same as punk

用法筆記

Countable — 'a punk', 'two punks'. This sense is closely related to sense 5 (ROTTEN WOOD): historically, a stick coated with decayed wood paste was used as a slow-burning fuse lighter.

punk — adjective

punk — verb