skull

[ skuhl ]
See synonyms for skull on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the bony framework of the head, enclosing the brain and supporting the face; the skeleton of the head.

  2. the head as the center of knowledge and understanding; mind: to get literature's great ideas through our skulls.

  1. Armor. the part of a helmet that covers the top of the head.

Idioms about skull

  1. out of one's skull, Slang. crazy; demented.

Origin of skull

1
1175–1225; Middle English scolle<Old Norse skalli

Other words from skull

  • skull-less, adjective
  • skull-like, adjective

Words that may be confused with skull

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use skull in a sentence

  • His almost skull-like face was a chilling reminder of the woman whose throat Raoul had slashed.

    Shaman | Robert Shea
  • Its teeth stood out white and skull-like against the red of an open mouth.

    Erik Dorn | Ben Hecht
  • He had one of those emaciated, almost skull-like faces which terrify children, and make women want to cry.

    The Man the Martians Made | Frank Belknap Long
  • The front of his skull-like face was twisted with the sardonic laugh of destruction.

    The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse | Vicente Blasco Ibanez
  • Its hairless head was skull-like, with gaping mouth and huge, round eyes.

    Rebels of the Red Planet | Charles Louis Fontenay

British Dictionary definitions for skull

skull

/ (skʌl) /


noun
  1. the bony skeleton of the head of vertebrates: See cranium Related adjective: cranial

  2. often derogatory the head regarded as the mind or intelligence: to have a dense skull

  1. a picture of a skull used to represent death or danger

Origin of skull

1
C13: of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Norse skoltr, Norwegian skult, Swedish dialect skulle

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for skull

skull

[ skŭl ]


  1. The part of the skeleton that forms the framework of the head, consisting of the bones of the cranium, which protect the brain, and the bones of the face. See more at skeleton.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.