flunking 1 of 2

flunking

2 of 2

verb

present participle of flunk

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of flunking
Verb
Hannah starts flunking tests, missing class, and becomes totally subsumed in Melanie’s world and her instructor’s investment in her. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 12 June 2026 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 By the end of the eighth grade, Ben—now out as gay—was flunking every class. — Longreads, 3 Feb. 2026 For its misleading omissions, the Times story deserves a flunking grade. — Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 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 Like the Phillies, they were weakened by a key player — ex-Padre Jurickson Profar — being suspended 80 games for flunking a PED test. — Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flunking
Adjective
  • The World Bank, International Monetary Fund and International Criminal Court, which all got failing grades in last year's survey, saw the biggest gains.
    — Andrea Shalal, USA Today, 16 Sep. 2026
  • The state graded the campus an F for three consecutive years, meaning two more failing grades could trigger an intervention.
    — Noah Alcala Bach, San Antonio Express-News, 1 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • The possibility -- even likelihood -- of some rickety old thing collapsing under me never occurred to me.
    — Bryan Hendricks, Arkansas Online, 27 Sep. 2026
  • Whether Merz can stabilize his chancellorship and prevent his reform program from collapsing midstream is a question whose outcome may soon become clear.
    — , CNBC, 25 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The tall foliage of bearded iris (Iris germanica) begins flopping early in the growing season.
    — Marie Iannotti, The Spruce, 22 Sep. 2026
  • The fish looks straight at me, flopping sluggishly from side to side.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • After missing the team’s first three games because of a knee injury, defensive back Chamarri Conner is set to make his 2026 debut.
    — Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Shares are down another 8% after missing on revenue and issuing a very light sales forecast for fiscal 2027.
    — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • In many such cases, Pennington says, parents will want to give each child an equal inheritance to be fair, but also worry about how the struggling child will fare upon receiving a sudden inheritance.
    — Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Each episode, the brutally honest Ramsay comes in to help the struggling restaurant fix its problems or its negative image, and in turn the restaurants get publicity from being on a national television show.
    — Katelyn Umholtz, Kansas City Star, 1 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Flunking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flunking. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

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