as in operating
being in effective operation
looked for a functioning washing machine, but the few that weren't broken were in use
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in activity
Related Words
as in acting
to have a certain purpose
the heart functions as a pump for the blood
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of functioning
Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 May 2026
Collins says cleaning a functioning or newer dryer once every two years is sufficient to clear our major blocks and prevent more serious complications, such as clogs that can lead to fires.
—Kristine Gill, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Apr. 2026
Investigators say the error was compounded by non-functioning signal systems along with failures in staffing, oversight and maintenance during years of delays in safety upgrades.
—ABC News, 23 Mar. 2026
Velasquez said Chait placed a strong emphasis on communication, recalling that district leaders recently sent administrators guidance on reassuring families that schools would remain safe and functioning.
—Teresa Liu, Daily News, 7 Mar. 2026
At the same time, Maguire ventured into opposition territory to serve as an emergency centre-forward — rarely a sign of a functioning game plan.
—Carl Anka, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
New Yorkers deserve and require a fully functioning and cohesive government.
—Kirsten John Foy, New York Daily News, 21 Feb. 2026
Police say the driver stopped at the non-functioning signal but did not see the teen in the crosswalk before proceeding.
—Tori Mason, CBS News, 2 Feb. 2026
At this stage, your vending business is a functioning, revenue-generating enterprise, which significantly lowers adjudicatory risk.
—Raheel Sheikh, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Sarah Bradley, Health, 21 June 2026
The energy crisis threatened by the Iran war was effectively neutralized through the natural functioning of the market — not through political breakthroughs.
—George Calhoun, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026
Guests complete cognitive-skills assessments that analyze the brain’s processing speed, visual memory, and executive functioning, then move into personalized drills and strategies.
—Melinda Fulmer, Robb Report, 11 June 2026
The researchers found that higher BMI over time led to more rapid declines in cognitive functions, memory and executive functioning than what is typically seen in aging adults, such as managing emotions, organizing and planning tasks, concentrating, and more.
—Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 June 2026
Pelvic floor disorders can occur when these muscles and tissues are too weak or too tight or don’t facilitate the proper functioning of these organs for other reasons.
—Stacey Colino, Time, 9 June 2026
Also lying latent was a decline in the bipartisan functioning of Congress.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 7 June 2026
Consistent short sleep, however, has been linked to measurable declines in cognitive performance and day-to-day functioning, while chronic sleep deprivation is associated with more serious long-term health risks.
—Sharon Brandwein, USA Today, 3 June 2026
Most pills — like Prozac for depression or Lipitor for cholesterol — are tiny chemicals that squeeze into a pocket inside a much larger protein to gum up its functioning.
—Bloomberg, Oc Register, 29 May 2026
Emily McLeod, CBS News, 16 June 2026
Instead of functioning solely as cars, the Neue Klasse EVs will also serve as mobile energy storage units.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 15 June 2026
Part of what the board is supposed to do is think about the Center functioning properly.
—Dana Taylor, USA Today, 15 June 2026
Much of the discussion tied back to the importance of giving Afghan immigrants the opportunity to become functioning members of their communities by getting jobs, creating businesses, becoming educated, learning English and understanding the country’s culture.
—Sean Campbell, Sacbee.com, 14 June 2026
As with the symptoms of anxiety, the causes of high-functioning anxiety vary greatly.
—Kimberly Zapata, Parents, 14 June 2026
Coastal and transportation adaptation is a fifth, covering ports, airports, rail corridors, and highways that need to keep functioning through more extreme conditions than they were originally engineered for.
—Ravi S. Bhalla, Fortune, 13 June 2026
Unlike many modern stadiums built amid parking lots and highway exits, Folsom sits directly inside a functioning college town.
—Jonathan Cohen, SPIN, 13 June 2026
The village of Oak Park shut down the West Suburban Medical Center building Thursday, after the hospital’s last functioning elevator stopped working — forcing the remaining patients there to find care elsewhere.
—Lisa Schencker, Chicago Tribune, 12 June 2026
Adjective
The location had critical issues with non-functioning refrigeration units, which led to food being stored at unsafe temperatures, city officials said.
—Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 May 2026
Collins says cleaning a functioning or newer dryer once every two years is sufficient to clear our major blocks and prevent more serious complications, such as clogs that can lead to fires.
—Kristine Gill, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Apr. 2026
Investigators say the error was compounded by non-functioning signal systems along with failures in staffing, oversight and maintenance during years of delays in safety upgrades.
—ABC News, 23 Mar. 2026
Velasquez said Chait placed a strong emphasis on communication, recalling that district leaders recently sent administrators guidance on reassuring families that schools would remain safe and functioning.
—Teresa Liu, Daily News, 7 Mar. 2026
At the same time, Maguire ventured into opposition territory to serve as an emergency centre-forward — rarely a sign of a functioning game plan.
—Carl Anka, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
New Yorkers deserve and require a fully functioning and cohesive government.
—Kirsten John Foy, New York Daily News, 21 Feb. 2026
Police say the driver stopped at the non-functioning signal but did not see the teen in the crosswalk before proceeding.
—Tori Mason, CBS News, 2 Feb. 2026
At this stage, your vending business is a functioning, revenue-generating enterprise, which significantly lowers adjudicatory risk.
—Raheel Sheikh, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Noun
There are many components of cognitive health, including attention, memory, and executive functioning.
—Sarah Bradley, Health, 21 June 2026
The energy crisis threatened by the Iran war was effectively neutralized through the natural functioning of the market — not through political breakthroughs.
—George Calhoun, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026
Guests complete cognitive-skills assessments that analyze the brain’s processing speed, visual memory, and executive functioning, then move into personalized drills and strategies.
—Melinda Fulmer, Robb Report, 11 June 2026
The researchers found that higher BMI over time led to more rapid declines in cognitive functions, memory and executive functioning than what is typically seen in aging adults, such as managing emotions, organizing and planning tasks, concentrating, and more.
—Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 June 2026
Pelvic floor disorders can occur when these muscles and tissues are too weak or too tight or don’t facilitate the proper functioning of these organs for other reasons.
—Stacey Colino, Time, 9 June 2026
Also lying latent was a decline in the bipartisan functioning of Congress.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 7 June 2026
Consistent short sleep, however, has been linked to measurable declines in cognitive performance and day-to-day functioning, while chronic sleep deprivation is associated with more serious long-term health risks.
—Sharon Brandwein, USA Today, 3 June 2026
Most pills — like Prozac for depression or Lipitor for cholesterol — are tiny chemicals that squeeze into a pocket inside a much larger protein to gum up its functioning.
—Bloomberg, Oc Register, 29 May 2026
Verb
Owens said Mableton has already hired staff and created a functioning court and wants certain cases heard there.
—Emily McLeod, CBS News, 16 June 2026
Instead of functioning solely as cars, the Neue Klasse EVs will also serve as mobile energy storage units.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 15 June 2026
Part of what the board is supposed to do is think about the Center functioning properly.
—Dana Taylor, USA Today, 15 June 2026
Much of the discussion tied back to the importance of giving Afghan immigrants the opportunity to become functioning members of their communities by getting jobs, creating businesses, becoming educated, learning English and understanding the country’s culture.
—Sean Campbell, Sacbee.com, 14 June 2026
As with the symptoms of anxiety, the causes of high-functioning anxiety vary greatly.
—Kimberly Zapata, Parents, 14 June 2026
Coastal and transportation adaptation is a fifth, covering ports, airports, rail corridors, and highways that need to keep functioning through more extreme conditions than they were originally engineered for.
—Ravi S. Bhalla, Fortune, 13 June 2026
Unlike many modern stadiums built amid parking lots and highway exits, Folsom sits directly inside a functioning college town.
—Jonathan Cohen, SPIN, 13 June 2026
The village of Oak Park shut down the West Suburban Medical Center building Thursday, after the hospital’s last functioning elevator stopped working — forcing the remaining patients there to find care elsewhere.
—Lisa Schencker, Chicago Tribune, 12 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for functioning
Adjective
-
True, some if the upside surprise has come from non-operating gains on holdings in huge, private AI pioneers, but not all of it.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
2 June 2026
-
Exxon operates some of the wells directly and holds a financial, non-operating interest in the others.—
Rachel Nostrant,
Houston Chronicle,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Over the next year, expect to see a few more invasive BCI companies launch similar clinical trials with the goal of translating mental activity into spoken words.—
Rob Toews,
Forbes.com,
22 June 2026
-
Several of the deaths were attributed to a variety of human activities, such as boat strikes.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
22 June 2026
Verb
-
The board appointed veteran district administrator Andres Chait as acting superintendent.—
Howard Blume,
Los Angeles Times,
22 June 2026
-
Bhushan also served as acting surgeon general of California in 2022.—
Tanya Lewis,
Scientific American,
21 June 2026
Adjective
-
And commercial inventories have hit operational stress levels.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
19 June 2026
-
These systems bring together process controls and operational know-how to help manage plant performance and lower project risks.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
19 June 2026
Noun
-
Before Brexit, the UK was part of the EU customs union and single market, allowing for the free movement of goods, people and capital.—
Hanna Ziady,
CNN Money,
22 June 2026
-
Anthropic as an organization is deeply influenced by the Effective Altruism movement, which seeks to have the largest possible positive impact on humanity; this makes biology a natural fit as a focus area.—
Rob Toews,
Forbes.com,
22 June 2026
Verb
-
After a 1980s split with Fidel Castro cost him the Interior Ministry, Valdés returned to power in the 2000s, overseeing telecommunications, serving as vice president and helping recover Che Guevara’s remains.—
Andrea Rodriguez,
Los Angeles Times,
22 June 2026
-
For Sánchez, the second longest-serving leader among the 27 European Union states, political survival now looks more perilous than ever before.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
21 June 2026
Adjective
-
The above scenarios are all post-operative timelines, but not all hamstring injuries are treated surgically.—
Liam Twomey,
New York Times,
10 June 2026
-
Post-operative care is provided with a special kit containing shampoos, lotions, and medical products, and the clinic maintains high hygiene standards by sanitizing procedure rooms through ultraviolet technology.—
Wyles Daniel,
USA Today,
20 May 2026
Noun
-
There is also a stash of BuzzBallz ready-to-drink cocktails for trivia winners, but Misraje and his cast do not deliver their performances with smirks or smarm.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
22 June 2026
-
The Parade route will end at the ballpark with Scotland fans walking the warning track and pre-game bagpipe performance.—
Andre Fernandez,
Miami Herald,
22 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Functioning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/functioning. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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