What does "skull" mean?
The main bones of the head considered as a unit; including the cranium, facial bones, and mandible.
Skull
/ˈskʌl/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The main bones of the head considered as a unit; including the cranium, facial bones, and mandible.
- Grammar: skull is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: cranium, head, anatomical skull replica, angel of death.
- Useful contrasts: cartilage, life symbol, scalps.
- Usage evidence: Closer examination revealed that the skull had been crushed by some heavy blow.
How to use "skull"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "skull" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "skull" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "skull" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "skull" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "skull" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "cranium" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "skull", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The main bones of the head considered as a unit; including the cranium, facial bones, and mandible.
"All the time six or eight large Chinese gongs were being beaten by the vigorous arms of as many young men, producing such a deafening discord that I was glad to escape to the round house, where I slept very comfortably with half a dozen smoke-dried human skulls suspended over my head."
- 2 Obsolete form of school (“a multitude”). alt-of, obsolete
"A knavish skull of boys and girls did pelt at him."
- 3 the bony skeleton of the head of vertebrates wordnet
- 4 These bones as a symbol for death; death's-head.
"Thine are these orbs of light and shade; Thou madest Life in man and brute; Thou madest Death; and lo, thy foot Is on the skull which thou hast made."
- 5 The mind or brain. figuratively
"My thoughts are flying around in my skull like fireflies in a jar, but all of a sudden I'm unbearably tired and can't stay awake."
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 A crust formed on the ladle, etc. by the partial cooling of molten metal.
- 7 The crown of the headpiece in armour.
- 8 A shallow bow-handled basket. Scotland
- 9 The head or master of a college. UK, obsolete, slang
"Graduates […] will never forget that majestic stature, that massive brow, that commanding look, as its possessor paced the ante-chapel of his college, or took his seat of presidence among the skulls of Golgotha."
Verb
- 1 To hit in the head with a fist, a weapon, or a thrown object.
- 2 To strike the top of (the ball). transitive
"Monte swung so hard at the next ball that he skulled it straight right, into the pond: 8 in, 9 out."
- 3 To drink everything that remains in a glass by upending it.
"She nearly skulled the next drink and, despite feeling a little woozy, she felt a lot better."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Closer examination revealed that the skull had been crushed by some heavy blow."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "skull"?
Common synonyms include: cranium, head, anatomical skull replica, angel of death, azrael, black death.
How do you use "skull" in a sentence?
Closer examination revealed that the skull had been crushed by some heavy blow.
How do you pronounce "skull"?
Pronounced /ˈskʌl/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English sculle, scolle (also schulle, scholle), probably from a dialectal form of Old Norse skalli (“bald head, skull”), itself probably related to Old English sċealu (“husk”). Compare Scots scull, Danish skal (“skull”) and skalle (“bald head, skull”), Norwegian skalle, Swedish skalle and especially dialectal Swedish skulle. Alternatively, perhaps from Old Norse skoltr, skolptr (“muzzle, snout”), akin to Icelandic skoltur (“jaw”), dialectal Swedish skult, skulle (“dome, crown of the head, skull”), Middle Dutch scolle, scholle, Middle Low German scholle, schulle (“clod, sod”), and Scots skult, skolt. Compare also Old High German sciula, skiula (“skull”).
Etymology 2
See school (“a multitude”).