bunk

¹ American  

[buhngk] / bʌŋk /

noun

1. a built-in platform bed, as on a ship.

2. Informal. any bed.

3. a cabin used for sleeping quarters, as in a summer camp; bunkhouse.

4. a trough for feeding cattle.

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verb (used without object)

1. Informal. to occupy a bunk or any sleeping quarters.

   Joe and Bill bunked together at camp.

verb (used with object)

1. to provide with a place to sleep.

bunk ² American  

[buhngk] / bʌŋk /

noun

Informal.

1. humbug; nonsense.

   Synonyms:

   hooey, bull, applesauce, hogwash, rot, baloney

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bunk ³ American  

[buhngk] / bʌŋk /

verb (used with or without object)

1. Chiefly New York City. to bump.

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bunk ⁴ American  

[buhngk] / bʌŋk /

verb (used with object)

1. to absent oneself from (school, work, etc.).

   to bunk a history class.

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verb (used without object)

1. to run off or away; flee.

   When they heard the distant police sirens, they dropped the bag of jewelry and silver and bunked.

idioms

1. do a bunk, to leave hastily, especially under suspicious circumstances; run away.

bunk ¹ British  

/ bʌŋk /

noun

1. a narrow shelflike bed fixed along a wall

2. short for bunk bed

3. informal any place where one sleeps

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verb

1. to prepare to sleep

   he bunked down on the floor

2. (intr) to occupy a bunk or bed

3. (tr) to provide with a bunk or bed

bunk ² British  

/ bʌŋk /

noun

1. a hurried departure, usually under suspicious circumstances (esp in the phrase do a bunk )

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verb

1. (usually foll by off) to play truant from (school, work, etc)

bunk ³ British  

/ bʌŋk /

noun

1. informal short for bunkum

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Etymology

Origin of bunk¹

First recorded in 1750–60; back formation from bunker

Origin of bunk²

An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900; short for bunkum

Origin of bunk³

Perhaps expressive alteration of bump

Origin of bunk⁴

First recorded in 1865–70; perhaps special use of bunk ¹

Explanation

A bunk is a bed that's built above another bed. Twin sisters might argue nightly over who gets the top bunk. You might find a bunk bed in a child's bedroom or a train's sleeper car. Sometimes the rough bed in a rustic cabin is also called a bunk — and you could say, "I'll bunk in the cabin tonight." Informally, bunk is also nonsense: "How can you believe that bunk?" The bed meaning is short for bunker, while the "foolishness" definition is from bunkum, named for a politician's long, dull speech in 1820, in Buncombe, North Carolina.

Example Sentences

Bunk beds are jammed into a room at the Albergue Vida shelter in Juárez because the shelter once accommodated scores of migrants each month.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 27, 2025

She sings in the indie music duo Bunk Buddy and acted in the A24 film “I Saw the TV Glow,” set to be released in May.

From New York Times • Mar. 19, 2024

Bunk beds were the obvious sign of the doubled capacity which concerned many opponents of the plan, and fire safety experts.

From BBC • Oct. 19, 2023

Even the long-heralded objective measure of sheets — thread count — does not reliably reflect quality these days, says Laura Fenton, author of “The Bunk Bed Book.”

From Washington Post • Jan. 18, 2023

He pretended to be deep in thought before exclaiming, “I’ve got it! Bunk beds. They’ll save us space and give the place a youthful atmosphere.”

From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro

Related Words

• baloney
• rubbish