funnel

[fuhn-l]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR funnel ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a cone-shaped utensil with a tube at the apex for conducting liquid or other substance through a small opening, as into a bottle, jug, or the like.

a smokestack, especially of a steamship.

a flue, tube, or shaft, as for ventilation.

Eastern New England. a stovepipe.

verb (used with object), fun·neled, fun·nel·ing or (especially British) fun·nelled, fun·nel·ling.

to concentrate, channel, or focus: They funneled all income into research projects.

to pour through or as if through a funnel.

verb (used without object), fun·neled, fun·nel·ing or (especially British) fun·nelled, fun·nel·ling.

to pass through or as if through a funnel.

Nearby words

Origin of funnel

1375–1425; late Middle English fonel < Old Provençal fonilh (Gascon) < Vulgar Latin *fundibulum, for Latin infundibulum, derivative of infundere to pour in

Related formsfun·nel·like, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for funnel

ISIS is able to funnel about 30 to 50 suicide bombers a month into Iraq.
ISIS ‘Worse Than Al Qaeda,‘ Says Top State Department Official|Tim Mak|July 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
So why, then, is Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel lobbying the Illinois legislature to funnel more people into prison for longer?
Are Prisons Bleeding Us Dry?|Sheila A. Bedi|December 1, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Basically, Time Warner Cable agreed to funnel more cash to CBS.
Wall Street Plays Defense|Daniel Gross|September 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The funnel swerved off the road and came sweeping up the hillside toward them.
Benjamin Franklin, America’s First Storm Chaser|Lee Sandlin|April 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST

The funnel was roaring in the depths of the woods; William boldly pursued it for another half mile.
Benjamin Franklin, America’s First Storm Chaser|Lee Sandlin|April 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST
When Mossamedes lifted, two masts and the top of a funnel cut the horizon.
Kit Musgrave's Luck|Harold Bindloss
The funnel traps used for catching the racers also caught many other kinds of animals.
Natural History of the Racer Coluber constrictor|Henry S. Fitch
There is the funnel of the great unwieldy ferry-object—she is just edging in.
Sea and Sardinia|D. H. Lawrence
Had he come an hour later he would have found nothing above water but the funnel of the steamer.
The World's Greatest Books, Volume V.|Arthur Mee and J.A. Hammerton, Eds.
Dilute nitric acid is then poured through the funnel and leaden pipe.
Water Supply: the Present Practice of Sinking and Boring Wells|Ernest Spon

British Dictionary definitions for funnel

funnel

noun

a hollow utensil with a wide mouth tapering to a small hole, used for pouring liquids, powders, etc, into a narrow-necked vessel

something resembling this in shape or function

a smokestack for smoke and exhaust gases, as on a steamship or steam locomotive

a shaft or tube, as in a building, for ventilation

verb -nels, nelling or -nelled or US -nels, -neling or -neled

to move or cause to move or pour through or as if through a funnel

to concentrate or focus or be concentrated or focused in a particular directionthey funnelled their attention on the problem

(intr) to take on a funnel-like shape

Derived Formsfunnel-like, adjective

Word Origin for funnel

C15: from Old Provençal fonilh, ultimately from Latin infundibulum funnel, hopper (in a mill), from infundere to pour in

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

Word Origin and History for funnel

funnel

c.1400, from Middle French fonel, from Provençal enfounilh, "a word from the Southern wine trade" [Weekley], from Late Latin fundibulum, shortened from Latin infundibulum "a funnel or hopper in a mill," from infundere "pour in," from in- "in" + fundere "pour" (see found (v.2)).

funnel

1590s, from funnel (n.). Related: Funneled; funneling.

funnel

noun

verb (used with object), fun·neled, fun·nel·ing or (especially British) fun·nelled, fun·nel·ling.

verb (used without object), fun·neled, fun·nel·ing or (especially British) fun·nelled, fun·nel·ling.

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Origin of funnel

Examples from the Web for funnel

funnel

noun

verb -nels, nelling or -nelled or US -nels, -neling or -neled

Word Origin for funnel

funnel

funnel