Synonyms of flunk

flunk

verb

ˈfləŋk 

as in to fail

to be unsuccessful

the movie flunks, both as entertainment and as a dramatization of a historical incident

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fail
• collapse
• flop
• miss
• struggle
• fold
• strike out
• bomb
• fall short
• tank
• come up empty
• fall flat
• founder
• come to grief
• lay an egg
• flame out
• wash out
• come a cropper
• decline
• crash
• die on the vine
• crater
• fall on one's face
• slip
• flounder
• crumble
• miscarry
• slump
• skid
• wane
• sink
• misfire
• go under
• implode
• self-destruct

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• go
• succeed
• deliver
• work out
• go over
• click
• come off
• cook
• thrive
• flourish
• prosper
• win
• pan out
• prevail
• triumph

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of flunk

Lost in the shuffle at times is the 35-year-old George — in large part this season because of a 25-game suspension for flunking a drug test — who has deferred to the other three Sixers when needed yet can still flash that All-Star form. — CBS News, 30 Apr. 2026

Or the employee cafeteria in the chains’ corporate overlord’s headquarters flunking an inspection? — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 20 Mar. 2026

John has just flunked the bar for the second time, and his job at the DA’s office — which has a three-strike policy — is in peril. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 13 Feb. 2026

By the end of the eighth grade, Ben—now out as gay—was flunking every class. — Longreads, 3 Feb. 2026