Definition

1. Noun:
   • Courage, determination, or spirit: "Spunk" refers to a quality of being brave, determined, and full of energy, especially in a difficult situation.
   • Tinder; material used to start a fire: In a more archaic or dialectal sense, "spunk" can refer to a piece of easily flammable material used to ignite a fire.

Usage

• As a noun, "spunk" is primarily used informally to describe a person's spirited courage. The fire-starting meaning is less common in modern general English.

Examples

• Noun (Courage/Spirit):
  • She showed real spunk by standing up to the bully.
  • You have to admire the spunk of the young entrepreneur who started her business with nothing.
• Noun (Fire-starting material):
  • The old scout used dry moss as spunk to get the campfire going.

Advanced Usage

• "To have spunk": To possess courage and a lively, determined spirit.
  • The candidate might be young, but she has a lot of spunk.
• "A bit of spunk": A small but noticeable amount of courage or feistiness.
  • His answer had a bit of spunk, which surprised the interview panel.

Variants and Related Words

• Spunky (adj): Having or showing courage, spirit, or determination.
  • She's a spunky little kid who isn't afraid of anything.

Synonyms

• Courage: The ability to do something that frightens one.
• Grit: Courage and resolve; strength of character.
• Mettle: A person's ability to cope well with difficulties; spirit and resilience.
• Pluck: Spirited and determined courage.

Antonyms

• Cowardice: Lack of bravery.
• Timidity: Lack of courage or confidence.

Notes

• The use of "spunk" to mean courage is informal but generally positive. The fire-starting meaning is now considered regional or dated.

Noun

1. the courage to carry on
   • he kept fighting on pure spunk
   • you haven't got the heart for baseball
2. material for starting a fire