as in to fail
to be unsuccessful
the movie flunks, both as entertainment and as a dramatization of a historical incident
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of flunk
How many times has Meatball Morrissey ally and Norfolk County clerk of courts Walter Timilty flunked the bar exam so far?
—
Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 7 June 2025
If President Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office were graded like an exam, a plurality of Americans would flunk him, according to new polling.
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2025
Will the current Supreme Court conclude that Trump’s tariffs also flunk it? N.C.L.A.
—Cristian Farias, New Yorker, 10 Apr. 2025
Charlotte Hornets The Mark Williams trade was a spectacular piece of opportunism that sadly went by the wayside when the Lakers flunked his physical, but give the Hornets points for nearly pulling that off.
—John Hollinger, The Athletic, 12 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flunk
Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 7 June 2025
If President Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office were graded like an exam, a plurality of Americans would flunk him, according to new polling.
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2025
Will the current Supreme Court conclude that Trump’s tariffs also flunk it? N.C.L.A.
—Cristian Farias, New Yorker, 10 Apr. 2025
Charlotte Hornets The Mark Williams trade was a spectacular piece of opportunism that sadly went by the wayside when the Lakers flunked his physical, but give the Hornets points for nearly pulling that off.
—John Hollinger, The Athletic, 12 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flunk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flunk
Verb
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Semafor traced it to a pair of US life insurers that had funneled policyholders’ cash to 777’s Bermudan reinsurer, which invested it into sports teams, airplanes, a payday lender, and a failing budget airline, among other bets generally unsuited for insurance guarantees.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
18 Oct. 2025
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Yet Britain failed to capitalize on the success, underestimating the American ability to regroup and continue fighting.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Some stars collapsed to the sea floor, dissolved into piles of goo.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
17 Oct. 2025
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The South Lebanon Army has just collapsed and Hezbollah are advancing fast while Israel is withdrawing its troops from Lebanon six weeks before its July deadline.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The film flopped theatrically when it was released in 1993, but became a cult classic and staple during the Halloween season and at drag shows.—
Althea Legaspi,
Rolling Stone,
18 Oct. 2025
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The following year would bring her signature role as Emma Fairfax in Richard Fleischer’s big-budget box office flop musical adaptation of Doctor Dolittle (1967) also starring Rex Harrison and Anthony Newley.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Theresa Fusco went missing November 10, 1984.—
Lauren del Valle,
CNN Money,
16 Oct. 2025
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Yet, even with the Saints missing Brees and top running back Alvin Kamara, the Bears were all too easily upended.—
Dan Wiederer,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flunk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flunk. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.
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