skinked; skinking; skinks
: any of a family (Scincidae) of typically small insectivorous lizards with long tapering bodies
Examples of skink in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Steve Bender, Southern Living, 3 Aug. 2024
In roughly 335 years, about 100 of Australia’s unique plant and animal species have gone extinct, including the Christmas Island forest skink, and about 10 percent of the 320 land mammals known to have lived in Australia when European colonization began.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 5 June 2024
Snakes evolved from lizard ancestors, of course, but glass lizards, snake lizards, skinks, amphisbaenians and more are all lizards that lost their legs independently of each other.
—Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 May 2024
Genetic analysis revealed the skinks belonged to the species Ablepharus alaicus, which had been cited in historical literature but never confirmed to exist within the borders of China.
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 19 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for skink 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
About This Episode The Grumpy Gardener helps a reader get over their fear of skinks.
—Steve Bender, Southern Living, 3 Aug. 2024
In roughly 335 years, about 100 of Australia’s unique plant and animal species have gone extinct, including the Christmas Island forest skink, and about 10 percent of the 320 land mammals known to have lived in Australia when European colonization began.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 5 June 2024
Snakes evolved from lizard ancestors, of course, but glass lizards, snake lizards, skinks, amphisbaenians and more are all lizards that lost their legs independently of each other.
—Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 May 2024
Genetic analysis revealed the skinks belonged to the species Ablepharus alaicus, which had been cited in historical literature but never confirmed to exist within the borders of China.
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 19 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for skink
Dictionary Entries Near skink
Cite this Entry
“Skink.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/skink. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share