punk

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punk / pəngk/ • n. 1. inf. a worthless person (often used as a general term of abuse). ∎  a criminal or hoodlum. ∎ derog. (in prison slang) a passive male homosexual. ∎  an inexperienced young person; a novice.2. (also punk rock) a loud, fast-moving, and aggressive form of rock music, popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s. ∎  (also punk rock·er) an admirer or player of such music, typically characterized by colored spiked hair and clothing decorated with safety pins or zippers.3. soft, crumbly wood that has been attacked by fungus, sometimes used as tinder.• adj. 1. inf. in poor or bad condition: I felt too punk to eat.2. of or relating to punk rock and its associated subculture: a punk band a punk haircut.DERIVATIVES: punk·ish adj.punk·y adj.

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