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Glite Dictionary
to bunk off

to bunk off

1 9.8
Stay away from school or work without permission to do something more fun
  • phrasal verb
  • /bʌŋk ɒf/
  • UK
translation icon : faltar a
  • Instead of going to work, she chose to bunk off and spend the day relaxing at home.

So, you know, being kind of an outcast, I'm mixed with the outcast kids and started bunking off at school and things like that.

Examples

  • I never bunked off school.

    Bend It Like Beckham (2002)

  • He decided to bunk off school to enjoy a day at the amusement park with his friends.

  • Or you might be bunking off, in which case, good on you.

    The Boat That Rocked (2009)

  • So, you know, being kind of an outcast, I'm mixed with the outcast kids and started bunking off at school and things like that.

    Anything Goes With James English

  • Anyway, are you sure these lot's parents don't know they've bunked off school to hit a nightclub at 10:00 in the morning?

    Blinded by the Light (2019)

  • Many students tend to bunk off school when they have tests they are unprepared for.

Synonyms

to play hooky
vsto bunk off
  • Informal
20 7.7

To stay away from school or work without permission

usually does it to avoid obligations or to have fun
to bunk
vsto bunk off
  • UK
1 8.5

To miss school or work without permission

usually does it to avoid obligations or to have fun

Antonyms

to attend
∞ 1.7

To be present at a meeting or event

to participate
866 2.5

To join in an activity with other people

How Unauthorized

to bunk off
  • UK
1 9.8
to skip
397 1.1
to miss
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

bunk off infinitive
bunked off past
bunked off past participle
bunking off present participle
bunks off third person singular

Morphology

bunk + off

The particle 'off' contributes a clear 'away' sense, so if a learner already knows 'bunk' as a verb meaning 'to miss/avoid' they can plausibly infer 'bunk off' = 'stay away from'. However, 'bunk' as a verb is informal and relatively British/lexicalized, so the combination is somewhat dependent on lexical knowledge and not fully predictable across languages, making it only partially transparent.

Etymology

Bunk off may come from the idea of hiding in your bunk, a 'bed', to avoid work or classes, so people would stay in bed instead of going out. That's why bunk off means 'to stay away from school or work without permission'.