as in served
to have a certain purpose
the heart functions as a pump for the blood
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of functioned
Malena Martínez, has functioned as more than a restaurant.
—
Paola Miglio, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 June 2026
Alcohol has historically functioned as an engine of social environments.
—Peter Su, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026
And composer John Paesano, while making the series, used old techniques to create a score that not only sounded but functioned like the great scores of those films.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 16 June 2026
Sitting up in Section 421 — the upper corner of the stadium, directly in the sun — in the second half, the match functioned as a giant white-noise machine.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 13 June 2026
The space functioned as a bright great room and teen hangout, fitted with arcade games, a large television and a snack bar.
—David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 13 June 2026
In the early days of the company, physical operations and digital marketing functioned in parallel but lacked a truly conversational flow.
—Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 11 June 2026
Bailey says the group functioned like an elite sports team.
—Jordan Runtagh, PEOPLE, 11 June 2026
For 30 years now, Of Montreal has functioned less as a band and more as a vehicle for exploring Kevin Barnes’ emotional whims.
—Ethan Beck, Pitchfork, 9 June 2026
Paola Miglio, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 June 2026
Alcohol has historically functioned as an engine of social environments.
—Peter Su, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026
And composer John Paesano, while making the series, used old techniques to create a score that not only sounded but functioned like the great scores of those films.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 16 June 2026
Sitting up in Section 421 — the upper corner of the stadium, directly in the sun — in the second half, the match functioned as a giant white-noise machine.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 13 June 2026
The space functioned as a bright great room and teen hangout, fitted with arcade games, a large television and a snack bar.
—David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 13 June 2026
In the early days of the company, physical operations and digital marketing functioned in parallel but lacked a truly conversational flow.
—Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 11 June 2026
Bailey says the group functioned like an elite sports team.
—Jordan Runtagh, PEOPLE, 11 June 2026
For 30 years now, Of Montreal has functioned less as a band and more as a vehicle for exploring Kevin Barnes’ emotional whims.
—Ethan Beck, Pitchfork, 9 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for functioned
Verb
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In 2014, Smith served a nine-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct and substance abuse policies.—
Nick Harris,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 June 2026
-
Flaks previously served as vice chairman of the board, according to officials.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
14 June 2026
Verb
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The establishment of the fund comes less than two weeks after a district court judge ruled the Kennedy Center's board acted unlawfully in adding the president's name and in making plans for two years of closure and renovations.—
Emma Nicholson,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
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Sarkissian, whose family started one of the first banquet halls in Los Angeles, remembers that his father acted as a friend and counselor to a lot of immigrants who suffered extreme culture shock.—
Ani Duzdabanyan,
Los Angeles Times,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
La Roja needs quicker movement of the ball and its players, more adaptation to what the opponent is doing (Saudi Arabia is not going to play free and open after seeing what worked) and to be more ruthless.—
Patrick Sung Cuadrado,
CNN Money,
21 June 2026
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Elmo Fire Department I‑20 westbound was closed as crews worked the scene.—
Doug Myers,
CBS News,
21 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Functioned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/functioned. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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