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
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
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
See All Example Sentences for flunk
John Hollinger, The Athletic, 12 Feb. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for flunk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flunk
Verb
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Crucially, many systems still fail to consider complexities like second marriages, age diversity, regional variation or cross-cultural compatibility.—
Anuradha Gupta,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 2025
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The Emperor Titus attempted but failed to revive Pompeii and its sibling town Herculaneum soon after the catastrophe, leaving the desolate region largely abandoned until its rediscovery in 1748.—
Andrew Paul Aug 7,
Popular Science,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
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When Adobe’s $20 billion deal for smaller, scrappier rival Figma collapsed in 2023 under global antitrust scrutiny, investors set to reap billions complained loudly about Biden’s enforcers.—
Rohan Goswami,
semafor.com,
7 Aug. 2025
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People try to avoid going out after dark, and in a city where everything is touched by narco dollars, the economy is collapsing.—
Jesse Hyde,
Rolling Stone,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Iron Sushi, 9030 SW 72nd Pl., South Miami-Dade Routine inspection, 28 total violations, one High Priority violation Iron Sushi stands as a restaurant ironman of failure, flopping on inspections Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.—
David J. Neal
August 1,
Miami Herald,
1 Aug. 2025
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Rebuilding an executive brand after an ugly headline takes messy phone calls, late-night revisions and the nerve to admit the first dozen remedies flopped in public view.—
Jon Michail,
Forbes.com,
1 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.—
Stephanie Wenger,
People.com,
8 Aug. 2025
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Don't miss these Four Wisconsin nursing homes have been ordered into receivership after racking up 384 complaints and accumulating around $900,000 in fines.—
Hope Karnopp,
jsonline.com,
7 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flunk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flunk. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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