funnel

[ fuhn-l ]
See synonyms for: funnelfunneledfunnelled on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a cone-shaped utensil with a tube at the apex for conducting liquid or other substance through a small opening, as into a bottle, jug, or the like.

  2. a smokestack, especially of a steamship.

  1. a flue, tube, or shaft, as for ventilation.

  2. Eastern New England. a stovepipe.

verb (used with object),fun·neled, fun·nel·ing or (especially British) fun·nelled, fun·nel·ling.
  1. to concentrate, channel, or focus: They funneled all income into research projects.

  2. to pour through or as if through a funnel.

verb (used without object),fun·neled, fun·nel·ing or (especially British) fun·nelled, fun·nel·ling.
  1. to pass through or as if through a funnel.

Origin of funnel

1
1375–1425; late Middle English fonel<Old Provençal fonilh (Gascon ) <Vulgar Latin *fundibulum, for Latin infundibulum, derivative of infundere to pour in

Other words from funnel

  • fun·nel·like, adjective

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

How to use funnel in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for funnel

funnel

/ (ˈfʌnəl) /


noun
  1. a hollow utensil with a wide mouth tapering to a small hole, used for pouring liquids, powders, etc, into a narrow-necked vessel

  2. something resembling this in shape or function

  1. a smokestack for smoke and exhaust gases, as on a steamship or steam locomotive

  2. a shaft or tube, as in a building, for ventilation

verb-nels, nelling or -nelled or US -nels, -neling or -neled
  1. to move or cause to move or pour through or as if through a funnel

  2. to concentrate or focus or be concentrated or focused in a particular direction: they funnelled their attention on the problem

  1. (intr) to take on a funnel-like shape

Origin of funnel

1
C15: from Old Provençal fonilh, ultimately from Latin infundibulum funnel, hopper (in a mill), from infundere to pour in

Derived forms of funnel

  • funnel-like, adjective

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