as in to fail
to be unsuccessful
the movie flunks, both as entertainment and as a dramatization of a historical incident
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of flunk
Ultragenyx lost more than $1 billion in market value after its bone drug flunked late-stage clinical trials.
—
Amy Feldman, Forbes.com, 7 Jan. 2026
For its misleading omissions, the Times story deserves a flunking grade.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 2 Jan. 2026
Conservatives, with few exceptions, united behind her, arguing the controversy was an example of a left-wing instructor flunking a student over their Christian beliefs.
—Jo Yurcaba, NBC news, 14 Dec. 2025
The coursework was intense, and the two struggled, even flunking some classes.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 28 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flunk
Amy Feldman, Forbes.com, 7 Jan. 2026
For its misleading omissions, the Times story deserves a flunking grade.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 2 Jan. 2026
Conservatives, with few exceptions, united behind her, arguing the controversy was an example of a left-wing instructor flunking a student over their Christian beliefs.
—Jo Yurcaba, NBC news, 14 Dec. 2025
The coursework was intense, and the two struggled, even flunking some classes.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 28 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flunk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flunk
Verb
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Minnesota had another power-play chance after Rantanen's slashing penalty with 2 1/2 minutes left, but failed to score even with an extra skater after pulling Filip Gustavsson out of the net.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2026
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But that figure predates major advances in cleanup technology and fails to account for available state and federal funding.—
Charles Rilli,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Demolition and recovery operations will resume Sunday morning at the site of the parking garage that partially collapsed this week in Grays Ferry.—
Ryan Hughes,
CBS News,
12 Apr. 2026
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As bat populations have collapsed, farmers have turned to more expensive and less effective alternatives like pesticides.—
Leah Campbell,
Hartford Courant,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The crop can be harvested at anytime, but most gardeners leave bulbs in the ground until the tops decline and flop over.—
Tom MacCubbin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 Apr. 2026
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Media companies a decade ago raced to engage young, bilingual Latinos by launching start-ups, including a joint venture between ABC News and Univision called Fusion that flopped.—
Meg James,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The league, in its internal evaluations, did not penalize the umps for calling pitches a strike that missed the plate but hit the buffer zone.—
Ken Rosenthal,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
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The 12-time All-Star and two-time MVP missed 27 games due to right patellofemoral pain syndrome.—
Jason Anderson,
Sacbee.com,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flunk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flunk. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.
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