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
For the first time in his life, Kevin was flunking classes — bizarre for a math nerd and high school salutatorian.
—
Ellen Barry, New York Times, 30 Dec. 2024
What is a bit surprising is that the loss was the third consecutive time the Steelers have faced a big test — and completely flunked it.
—The Athletic Nfl Staff, The Athletic, 27 Dec. 2024
Ruth used that run-in to inform Franks of why Gibbs flunked his psych eval, and to call him on the carpet for dodging the boy’s calls/visits.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 16 Dec. 2024
The Eagles will be a measuring stick During a 27-13 loss that wasn’t as close as the final score might indicate, the Steelers flunked that test.
—Mike Defabo, The Athletic, 16 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for flunk
Ellen Barry, New York Times, 30 Dec. 2024
What is a bit surprising is that the loss was the third consecutive time the Steelers have faced a big test — and completely flunked it.
—The Athletic Nfl Staff, The Athletic, 27 Dec. 2024
Ruth used that run-in to inform Franks of why Gibbs flunked his psych eval, and to call him on the carpet for dodging the boy’s calls/visits.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 16 Dec. 2024
The Eagles will be a measuring stick During a 27-13 loss that wasn’t as close as the final score might indicate, the Steelers flunked that test.
—Mike Defabo, The Athletic, 16 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for flunk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flunk
Verb
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Yet, there was a significant party divide over support for Israeli airstrikes against Iran's nuclear facilities if negotiations failed.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 June 2025
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The rap producer has been incarcerated at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center since his September arrest, having failed to persuade multiple judges to release him to house arrest on a $50 million bond.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
23 June 2025
Verb
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Without a proper response from the immune system, even the most efficient organs won’t prevent the body from collapsing.—
Marcin Nowak,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
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The agreement ultimately collapsed after China withdrew following Trump's tariff announcement.—
Jesus Mesa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 June 2025
Verb
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Meta’s first glasses, the Ray-Ban Stories, flopped in 2021.—
Ani Freedman,
Fortune,
20 June 2025
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The 2023 2-Year-Old Champion stormed into 2024 with a huge Florida Derby (G1) win before flopping badly in the Kentucky Derby.—
Jared Welch,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2025
Verb
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Eliza felt her body becoming alive for the first time, coursing through with a vitality of pure sensation that had been missing for her entire teenage existence.—
Siouxzi Connor
June 20,
Literary Hub,
20 June 2025
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That however means that monitoring any LLM answers miss the point.—
Lutz Finger,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flunk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flunk. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
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