functioning
Americanadjective
-
performing a specified action or activity; working; operating.
My son has only one functioning kidney.
-
(of a person with addiction or other illness or disability) able to cope with everyday life, as at home or at work: functioning diabetics.
a functioning alcoholic with a successful career;
functioning diabetics.
Etymology
Origin of functioning
First recorded in 1835–40; in 1970–75 functioning for def. 2; function ( def. ) (in the sense “to perform an action”) + -ing 2 ( def. )
Explanation
Something that is functioning is working — doing what it's supposed to do. A functioning refrigerator keeps your food cold. A functioning television shows a clear picture. A functioning group gets things done in an orderly and timely fashion. A function is the purpose that something is made for. A flashlight's function is to light up. But if it's not functioning, or working properly, you might need to change its batteries or buy a new one. If your car can get you from point A to point B but the engine sounds like it's going to die any minute, you might say that it is "barely functioning." Sometimes people use the word functional to mean the thing as functioning.
Vocabulary lists containing functioning
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 a country better known for industrial farming, highly processed food and suspiciously long-lasting bread, Chuck Childers rises before dawn and trudges off to operate one of America's oldest functioning gristmills.
From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026
Importantly, however, bond markets aren’t in a panic mode and are functioning properly, analysts at Allianz Research said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
“In the U.S. Treasury market, functioning appears orderly, liquidity conditions appear broadly stable and bid-ask spreads remain relatively contained.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026
This behavior depends entirely on a functioning visual system.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 28, 2026
If Michael Burry thought there wasn’t—for instance, if he thought a market was temporarily not functioning or somehow fraudulent—he was permitted to “side-pocket” an investment.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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.
