funnel

American  

[fuhn-l] / ˈfʌn l /

noun

1. 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.

2. a smokestack, especially of a steamship.

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

4. Eastern New England. a stovepipe.

---

verb (used with object)

funneled, funneling, funnelled, funnelling

1. to concentrate, channel, or focus.

   They funneled all income into research projects.

2. to pour through or as if through a funnel.

verb (used without object)

funneled, funneling, funnelled, funnelling

1. to pass through or as if through a funnel.

funnel British  

/ ˈfʌnəl /

noun

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

2. something resembling this in shape or function

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

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

---

verb

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

2. to concentrate or focus or be concentrated or focused in a particular direction

   they funnelled their attention on the problem

3. (intr) to take on a funnel-like shape

Other Word Forms

• funnel-like adjective
• funnellike adjective

Etymology

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

Explanation

The cone-shaped tool you use to pour liquid into a small hole is a funnel. The swirling winds of a tornado make the shape of a funnel. This is why they are called funnel clouds. You can also use the word metaphorically to describe something that goes from wide to narrow while moving. If six lanes of traffic must funnel through a tunnel, you'll probably see a traffic jam. And if you photographed the scene from above, the cars would make a triangular shape, as if they formed a flat funnel. If a company is funneling money into research and development, it is spending lots of money in that department. Funnel cake is made by pouring batter through a funnel in to hot oil. Yum!

Example Sentences

And on occasion, Bayern looked to funnel Madrid down their right.

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026

Researchers focused on identifying the exact position of Saturn's cusp -- a region where magnetic field lines bend back toward the poles and allow charged particles to funnel into the atmosphere.

From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026

Newman called the Neo a “strategic on-ramp product” that can “expand the funnel of users who can then be monetized through Apple’s higher-margin services platform.”

From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026

The lawsuit further accuses Anderson of using two offshoot LLCs and a real estate company to funnel himself around $5 million in additional profits.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2026

Rias, riverbeds that have been flooded by the sea, form deep harbors that reach inland, creating channels that can funnel waves.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland

Related Words

• channel
• filter
• pour
• siphon
• transmit