adj

dank

DANGK

adj

Unpleasantly damp, cold, and musty, especially of an enclosed space.

"The cellar was dank and smelled of mildew."

"A dank fog hung over the old churchyard."

Slang: excellent or impressive (often used of memes or, historically, strong cannabis).

"That meme is so dank it broke the group chat."

How to Use Dank

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishDescribes a cold, damp, unpleasant place — or, in internet slang, something so good or absurd it's impressive.

Common mistake

The slang sense ("dank meme") is casual internet usage and doesn't belong in formal writing.

Common pairings

dank basement dank cellar dank meme

Word Forms

danker comparative, danked past tense, danks plural, danks singular, dankest superlative

Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.

Test yourself on “dank” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage →

Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

The cellar was _____ and smelled of mildew.

Etymology

From Middle English danke ("wet, damp"), likely from a North Germanic source related to Swedish dank ("marshy spot"). The internet slang sense grew out of an older drug-culture use meaning "strong, high-quality," which later broadened into general praise.

Rhymes for dank

bank tank rank yank Hank drank stank plank thank frank prank skank

See all rhymes for dank →