as in served
to have a certain purpose
the heart functions as a pump for the blood
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Recent Examples of functioned
Located in Eastlake Park, Phoenix’s first historically Black community, the restaurant has functioned as a home away from home for its regulars and for celebrities like Aretha Franklin, Charles Barkley and Jesse Jackson.
—
Bahar Anooshahr, AZCentral.com, 6 Mar. 2026
Filmmakers’ jackets have long functioned as cultural markers in film circles, commemorating key moments in a director or producer’s career.
—Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 5 Mar. 2026
The demonstration functioned as both performance and lesson, with terminology and technique explained in real time.
—J.m. Banks
march 3, Kansas City Star, 3 Mar. 2026
This tool functioned only so long as a person was inside it; otherwise, pipeline workers would swoop in and quickly demolish it.
—Robert Moor, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
These acts of naming, monumentalizing, and commemorating functioned at multiple scales as grassroots recognition, state propaganda, and artistic homage.
—Anel Rakhimzhanova, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2026
This level of preservation gives researchers a look at these ancient organisms beyond their outward shapes, offering evidence of how their bodies actually functioned.
—Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 27 Feb. 2026
For six decades, USAID functioned as Washington’s development backbone on the continent — imperfect, often bureaucratic, but central to US influence in health, education, and governance.
—Alexanderia Baker-Haidara, semafor.com, 27 Feb. 2026
Liberal democratic systems, for all their faults, functioned.
—Jason Burke, Time, 27 Feb. 2026
Bahar Anooshahr, AZCentral.com, 6 Mar. 2026
Filmmakers’ jackets have long functioned as cultural markers in film circles, commemorating key moments in a director or producer’s career.
—Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 5 Mar. 2026
The demonstration functioned as both performance and lesson, with terminology and technique explained in real time.
—J.m. Banks
march 3, Kansas City Star, 3 Mar. 2026
This tool functioned only so long as a person was inside it; otherwise, pipeline workers would swoop in and quickly demolish it.
—Robert Moor, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
These acts of naming, monumentalizing, and commemorating functioned at multiple scales as grassroots recognition, state propaganda, and artistic homage.
—Anel Rakhimzhanova, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2026
This level of preservation gives researchers a look at these ancient organisms beyond their outward shapes, offering evidence of how their bodies actually functioned.
—Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 27 Feb. 2026
For six decades, USAID functioned as Washington’s development backbone on the continent — imperfect, often bureaucratic, but central to US influence in health, education, and governance.
—Alexanderia Baker-Haidara, semafor.com, 27 Feb. 2026
Liberal democratic systems, for all their faults, functioned.
—Jason Burke, Time, 27 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for functioned
Verb
-
Public interest in the case intensified after the local press widely reported that the father of one of the suspects served as undersecretary for governance and compliance within Rio’s state social development and human rights department.—
Eléonore Hughes,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Crosby is out a minimum of four weeks because of a lower-body injury and Malkin served the second of a five-game suspension for slashing Buffalo's Rasmus Dahlin in the head.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
But the speed and the solidarity with which states came forward suggest the states don’t feel like the DOJ acted competently.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
-
The company acted with urgency to expand beyond beer into the fast-growing categories of non-alcoholic beer and ready-to-drink choices.—
Jordan Valinsky,
CNN Money,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Sheri Penzari, who has worked for United, Delta, and the now-defunct Eastern Air Lines, also recommends dual-purpose dressing.—
Katie Jackson,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Mar. 2026
-
The Hawks worked the ball up court and got it to Webb who fake a drive to make some space and then drilled a three with 10 seconds left to retake the lead.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Functioned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/functioned. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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