skulk

/skəlk/

Other forms: skulking; skulked; skulks

Skulking is cowardly. It means hiding out, either because you're trying to pull something off in secret, or because you're trying to get out of doing something you're supposed to be doing.

If you cut school, it makes sense to do it in the style of Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and enjoy yourself. Will the punishment be worse than if you skulk around town, avoiding teachers and people your parents know, not doing anything you really want to do? In spy movies, there are always bad guys in hotel lobbies, skulking about, hiding behind open newspapers.

Definitions of skulk

1. verb

   lie in wait, lie in ambush, behave in a sneaky and secretive manner
   synonyms: lurk

   type of:

   conceal, hide

   prevent from being seen or discovered
2. verb

   move stealthily
   “The lonely man skulks down the main street all day”

   type of:

   walk

   use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
3. verb

   avoid responsibilities and duties, e.g., by pretending to be ill
   synonyms: malinger

   type of:

   fiddle, goldbrick, shirk, shrink from

   avoid (one's assigned duties)
4. noun

   a group of foxes