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.
“Plenty of functioning cities enforce their laws,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times • May 17, 2026
Researchers observed the same trend in a longitudinal metabolomic analysis, which follows people over time and uses advanced blood testing to examine hundreds of tiny molecules that reflect how the body is functioning.
From Science Daily • May 16, 2026
It contains 26 actions aimed at restoring Northern Ireland's semi-natural peatlands to functioning ecosystems by 2040, but highlights that "significant financial resources" will be needed.
From BBC • May 15, 2026
“It’s a lifeline to keep functioning as normally as possible,” he said, explaining that the business lost money last year due to tariffs and has been discounting some existing inventory to boost cash flow.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026
I’ll go ahead and tell you that things will probably be tense for a little while, but I do think we’ll eventually get back to seminormal functioning.
From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone
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.
