flunk
Americanverb (used without object)
-
flunks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
flunked,
past participle, past
-
flunking
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
flunks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
flunked,
past participle, past
-
flunking
present participle
-
to fail to get a passing mark in.
to flunk math.
-
to give a failing grade to; remove (a student) as unqualified from a school or course.
noun
verb phrase
verb
-
to fail or cause to fail to reach the required standard in (an examination, course, etc)
-
to be dismissed from a school or college through failure in examinations
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
flunksimple
-
flunkssimple
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have flunkedperfect
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has flunkedperfect
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am flunkingprogressive
-
are flunkingprogressive
-
is flunkingprogressive
-
have been flunkingperfect progressive
-
has been flunkingperfect progressive
Past
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flunkedsimple
-
had flunkedperfect
-
was flunkingprogressive
-
were flunkingprogressive
-
had been flunkingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of flunk
Explanation
To flunk is to do poorly on a test or in a class. One way to avoid flunking is to start studying several nights before a test. People have been flunking things ever since there were schools. However, we’ve only been calling it flunking since the 1800s. Originally, flunk could mean “to fail” or “to give up.” That’s a good reminder that sometimes, to avoid flunking, you just need to keep trying.
Vocabulary lists containing flunk
"Enabling or Disabling?" and "This I Believe"
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"Sparky"
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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.
See Examples For:
The difference between dropping the SAT and dropping the civil service examination is that incompetent students flunk out in a year or so.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
It’s saying, “Oh, yay, I get to flunk another math test this week,” when what you mean is that you are freaked out about your consistently terrible grades in math class.
From Salon ● Nov. 29, 2024
First she was told that a paper test was no longer an option, and later she was told that you had to flunk a computer test first.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2023
This other teacher is going to flunk me.
From Scientific American ● Oct. 13, 2022
"I didn't exactly flunk out or anything. I just quit, sort of."
From "The Catcher in the Rye" by J. D. Salinger
Andy’s so busy with his secretary planning the high-school graduation that he flunks a final.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 17, 2020
If he flunks the test, he will not be alone in paying a price.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 10, 2018
As a policy argument, Friedman’s thesis flunks key empirical tests.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2016
If your car flunks, you can’t register it.
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2015
“We just saw this episode two weeks ago. Lashonda flunks home ec and gets caught lending Troy’s letter jacket to that college guy she’s been dating on the side.”
From "Schooled" by Gordon Korman
In 2023, OpenAI’s top model breezed through the grade-school math exam that previous machines had flunked.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026
Incredibly, as much as people believe football gets players in the best shape of their life, Fine once flunked his conditioning test for lacrosse after playing football.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
Turns out I hadn’t flunked technology after all.
From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026
Masse’s professors would have flunked him if he used artificial intelligence for designs and images, he said.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 22, 2026
I said I'd flunked out of Pencey, though.
From "The Catcher in the Rye" by J. D. Salinger
The freshman and sophomore years were tough, with some core courses flunking or dropping almost half the students.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026
On each corner of 23rd Avenue and Jefferson Street, including by the Ezell’s Famous Chicken, protesters carried signs reading “Shots Fired, We’re Tired,” or “report cards” grading Seattle Public Schools as flunking on safety.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 20, 2024
First, he is flunking a defense that has been horribly mismanaged by his buddy Alex Grinch yet is continually supported by Riley.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2023
After flunking out of the University of Florida in 1966, Mr. Pride enlisted in the Army, learned Russian at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, Calif., and was deployed to West Germany.
From New York Times ● May 12, 2023
"Do you blame me for flunking you, boy?" he said.
From "The Catcher in the Rye" by J. D. Salinger
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
