merkin

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Meaning · English

The male counterpart of a beard, a companion to a lesbian to feign her straightness.

Register: slang

Where it’s used: Used American English

Examples

Well, I seem to recall Tori and Patrick being seen together, and a reference in People comes to mind, with a photo attached. I'm not for sure that Patrick is completely gay, but he's at least bi according to a person I know with first hand experience. Perhaps we have a dual merkin-beard relationship

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “merkin” mean?

The male counterpart of a beard, a companion to a lesbian to feign her straightness.

Is “merkin” formal or informal?

merkin is generally slang.