Home › Words › F › flunkflunk/flʌŋk/flunk means of a student, to fail a class; to not pass.flunk is pronounced /flʌŋk/.EtymologyAlteration of funk, or perhaps a blend of flinch + funk.verbOf a student, to fail a class; to not pass.e.g.“He flunked math, again.”Of a teacher, to deny a student a passing grade.e.g.“Unsatisfied with Fred's progress, the teacher flunked him.”To fail any challengeTo shirk (a task or duty).To back out through fear. (Commonly in the phrase 'flunk it', the 'it' referring to a specific task avoided; sometimes without specific reference, describing a person's attitude to life in general.)Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).Words closest in meaningBy meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.flunker 79% match — Someone who has flunked: failed in an examination, been kept back to repeat a grade, or flunked out of school. vs flunk →failer 56% match — One who fails. vs flunk →laglast 55% match — A pupil ranked behind all others; an academic failure. vs flunk →flunkyish 54% match — Like a flunky. vs flunk →atroke 54% match — To fail; give out; become faint. vs flunk →flopperoo 53% match — A flop; an utter failure. vs flunk →raté 53% match — an unsuccessful person; a failure vs flunk →dud 53% match — A device or machine that is useless because it does not work properly or has failed to work, such as a bomb, or explosive projectile. vs flunk →