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funnel

[fuhn-l]

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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.

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

Related Words for funnel

pour, filter, transmit, siphon, channel, move, pipe, convey, conduct, carry, pass, traject

Examples from the Web for funnel

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
Basically, Time Warner Cable agreed to funnel more cash to CBS.
Wall Street Plays Defense
Daniel Gross
September 3, 2013
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
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

Historical Examples of funnel

Pour it through a funnel into half-pint bottles, and cork them well.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches
Eliza Leslie
A Prairie-dog hole is shaped like a funnel, going straight down.
Johnny Bear
E. T. Seton
On the outside the ground slopes away gently from the funnel.
Johnny Bear
E. T. Seton
She had not a sail aloft nor a plume of smoke in her funnel.
The Cruise of the Dry Dock
T. S. Stribling
The funnel was freshly painted black with a red band at the top.
The Cruise of the Dry Dock
T. S. Stribling

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

n.

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)).

v.

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

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper