skull

1 of 2

noun

plural skulls
1
: the skeleton of the head of a vertebrate forming a bony or cartilaginous case that encloses and protects the brain and chief sense organs and supports the jaws
2
: the seat of understanding or intelligence : mind see also out of one's skull
skulled adjective
… the craniate (skulled) vertebrates … Eugene Solomon Talbot
  • usually used in combination
    large-skulled

skull

2 of 2

verb

skulled; skulling; skulls

transitive verb

1
: to hit on the head
2
: to unintentionally hit (a golf ball or shot) with the bottom edge of the clubface

Examples of skull in a Sentence

Noun He had a fractured skull. paleoanthropologists recently found the skull of a prehistoric man in a remote area of the desert
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
For instance, a fall from a great height onto cobblestones would, in reality, result in exposing the person’s skull. Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Mar. 2024 Due to microgravity, there is more fluid accumulating in the upper part of the body and head, resulting in higher pressure in the skull. Fox News, 15 Mar. 2024 There’s a lot to like about brain-computer interfaces, those sci-fi-sounding devices that jack into your skull and turn neural signals into software commands. Caitlin Kelly, WIRED, 11 Mar. 2024 He was found bloodied under a blanket on the floor, his skull split open, the lead pipe used to beat him left beside an American history textbook on the bed at their home in Arcadia. Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2024 Through knee-jerk millennial instinct, that vulnerable bald skull always flashes me back to those unforgettable photos of Britney Spears at the gas station in 2007—head freshly shaved, eyes blank and wild, umbrella wielded as a machete. Matthew Strauss, Pitchfork, 29 Feb. 2024 At a time when edgy Alexander McQueen skull scarves and bedazzled Ed Hardy graphic tees were trending, Pellat-Finet’s luxurious skull knits stood out from the pack. Christian Allaire, Vogue, 28 Feb. 2024 The new species was identified by its scale pattern, body size, skull and other features, the study said. Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2024 This three-pound lump of gray matter in our skulls processes our thoughts, memories, feelings, and unconscious physiology. Andrew Mawson, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
Verb
Another decade passed and, in 2019, the Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office received a grant to begin DNA analysis on more than 100 sets of unidentified remains, the Mount Hood skull among them. oregonlive, 22 Oct. 2020 And, most incredibly, not after skulling a bunker shot on the par-5 14th, then hacking out to 30 feet. Daniel Rapaport, SI.com, 13 June 2019 The ball was sitting on such tight grass that he easily could have chunked or skulled it. Daniel Rapaport, SI.com, 17 June 2019 This leaves one big question: Why were people drilling into one another’s skulls 5,000 years ago in the first place? Jason Daley, Smithsonian, 25 Apr. 2018 Someone took out a golf driver and skulled the top off of a full can of Bud Light and drank what was left. Byron McCauley, Cincinnati.com, 26 Feb. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'skull.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English skulle, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Swedish dialect skulle skull

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1945, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of skull was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near skull

Cite this Entry

“Skull.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/skull. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

skull

noun
ˈskəl
1
: the case of bone or cartilage that forms the skeleton of the head and face, encloses the brain, and supports the jaws of vertebrates
2
: the location of understanding or intelligence : mind
skulled
ˈskəld
adjective

Medical Definition

skull

noun
: the skeleton of the head forming a bony case that encloses and protects the brain and chief sense organs and supports the jaws

More from Merriam-Webster on skull

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