funk
1cowering fear; state of great fright or terror.
a dejected mood: He's been in a funk ever since she walked out on him.
British. to shrink from; try to shirk: We can only say that the government has funked its responsibility.
British. to shrink or quail in fear: He funked at nothing, and could lick every boy in the neighborhood.
Origin of funk
1Other words from funk
- funker, noun
Words Nearby funk
Other definitions for funk (2 of 3)
Origin of funk
2Other definitions for Funk (3 of 3)
Cas·i·mir [kaz-uh-meer], /ˈkæz əˌmɪər/, 1884–1967, U.S. biochemist, born in Poland: discovered thiamine, the first vitamin isolated.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use funk in a sentence
In some ways, this 2020 season, as chaotic as it has become because of the pandemic, has served as an attention-grabbing endeavor for funk.
Maryland’s Jake Funk has become numb to pain so the tumult of 2020 can’t faze him | Emily Giambalvo | December 11, 2020 | Washington PostExpect to hear vintage funk, deep house, downtempo and Baltimore club bangers — all adding up to the perfect weekend soundtrack, whether you’re on a makeshift dance floor on Friday night or just chilling on your sofa on Wednesday evening.
The best things to do — virtually and in person — while quarantined in the D.C. area | Going Out Guide Staff | October 29, 2020 | Washington PostA saison might showcase a brettanomyces yeast that carries the funk of a barnyard.
How Hops Became the Star of American Brewing | Christopher Solomon | October 7, 2020 | Outside OnlineThree thousand miles away, news of the project’s approval sent Bill Gow, a cattle rancher from southern Oregon, into a lasting funk.
It’s His Land. Now a Canadian Company Gets to Take It. | by Lee van der Voo for ProPublica | October 1, 2020 | ProPublicaThe slinky funk song playing in my head screeched to a halt.
But along with the cartoon funk is an all-too-real story of police brutality embodied by a horde of evil Pigs.
‘Black Dynamite’ Presents Police Brutality: The Musical | Stereo Williams | January 9, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTThe funk legend treats unsuspecting concertgoers to an impromptu show.
Prince Crashes Jazz Show, Produces Greatness | Jack Holmes, The Daily Beast Video | December 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe simultaneously upbeat and sentimental ode to friendship is equal parts funk, trance, pop, and R&B.
The Swedish Queen of Soulful Pop: Mapei Won’t Wait for You to Listen | Caitlin Dickson | October 16, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBut even after the funk of the Bush years dispersed, we were left with a deeper truth.
The Strange World of Political Assassination Fantasies | James Poulos | September 24, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe soul-funk innovator had some complex and (quite frankly) bizarre political views.
James Brown, Friend of Strom Thurmond and Mentor to Al Sharpton | Asawin Suebsaeng | July 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTLittle time was lost in bringing the doctors—Anderson, of the man-of-war, and his friend Dr. funk.
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 25 (of 25) | Robert Louis StevensonWhile I am by no means prepared to admit that I am what you so pleasingly term "a funk," I readily allow that——'
The Talking Horse | F. AnsteySuddenly a white funk comes over me and I rush out and into the taxi again.
My Wonderful Visit | Charlie ChaplinYou seem to be taking things coolly, but I don't mind confessing that I'm in a blessed funk.
Masterpieces of Mystery, Vol. 1 (of 4) | VariousThe fact is, I let Harry Tristram put me in a funk, you know.
Tristram of Blent | Anthony Hope
British Dictionary definitions for funk (1 of 4)
/ (fʌŋk) informal, mainly British /
Also called: blue funk a state of nervousness, fear, or depression (esp in the phrase in a funk)
a coward
to flinch from (responsibility) through fear
(tr; usually passive) to make afraid
Origin of funk
1Derived forms of funk
- funker, noun
British Dictionary definitions for funk (2 of 4)
/ (fʌŋk) /
US slang a strong foul odour
Origin of funk
2British Dictionary definitions for funk (3 of 4)
/ (fʌŋk) /
informal a type of polyrhythmic Black dance music with heavy syncopation
Origin of funk
3British Dictionary definitions for Funk (4 of 4)
/ (fʌŋk) /
Casimir (ˈkæzɪˌmɪə). 1884–1967, US biochemist, born in Poland: studied and named vitamins
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
Scientific definitions for Funk
[ fŭngk, fōōngk ]
Polish-born American biochemist who is credited with the discovery of vitamins. In 1912 he postulated the existence of four organic bases he called vitamines which were necessary for normal health and the prevention of deficiency diseases. He also contributed to the knowledge of the hormones of the pituitary gland and the sex glands.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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