defunct
Americanadjective
-
no longer in effect or use; not operating or functioning.
a defunct law; a defunct organization.
-
no longer in existence; dead; extinct.
a defunct person; a defunct tribe of Indians.
noun
adjective
-
no longer living; dead or extinct
-
no longer operative or valid
Other Word Forms
- defunctive adjective
- defunctness noun
- nondefunct adjective
Etymology
Origin of defunct
1540–50; < Latin dēfunctus discharged, dead (past participle of dēfungī ), equivalent to dē- de- + functus performed; function
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In 2015, he and his partners opened an outdoor party space they called the Brooklyn Mirage in a lot next to a defunct warehouse in Williamsburg.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026
Before streaming platforms dominated at-home entertainment, consumers relied on places like Blockbuster, the now nearly erased movie rental chain and RedBox, the defunct movie vending machines, to watch newly released films.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 23, 2026
The site of Ukraine's defunct Chernobyl nuclear plant briefly lost off-site power in the shutdown, the UN atomic energy watchdog said.
From Barron's • Jan. 31, 2026
They also contributed to the bankruptcy of Takata, which is now defunct.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 23, 2025
Just then the three members of the defunct ladies’ auxiliary, Frieda, Betty, and Liz, stomped into the crowd surrounding Ignatius.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
