as in stench
a strong unpleasant smell
the overpowering funk of rotten meat emanated from the garbage bin
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in coward
a person who shows a shameful lack of courage in the face of danger
he may be a strong, athletic guy, but he's a real funk when it comes to donating blood
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of funk
Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 31 Jan. 2026
An upcoming Netflix documentary, The Rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, will chronicle the early career of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame punk-funk Los Angeles band.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 30 Jan. 2026
Spin Contributor, SPIN, 20 Dec. 2024
But Minchin and Alcock are an electric duo, their bristling anti-chemistry transmuting their characters’ respective funks from mostly unwatchable to genuinely compelling.
—Alexis Gunderson, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for funk
Noun
Across it, Thomas embraces maximalism, weaving together R&B, funk, and psychedelic rock to showcase his wide array of influences (everyone from D’Angelo to Jimi Hendrix) and talents as a multi-instrumentalist.
—Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 31 Jan. 2026
An upcoming Netflix documentary, The Rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, will chronicle the early career of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame punk-funk Los Angeles band.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 30 Jan. 2026
Verb
And there’s always more rising DIY stars on the horizon, ranging from rock to funk to pop to neo-soul.
—Spin Contributor, SPIN, 20 Dec. 2024
But Minchin and Alcock are an electric duo, their bristling anti-chemistry transmuting their characters’ respective funks from mostly unwatchable to genuinely compelling.
—Alexis Gunderson, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for funk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for funk
Verb
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Photo provided Additional video shows witness Kenyatta Squires ducking into a corner deli moments before the van barrels onto the sidewalk toward two pedestrians standing outside a business.—
Andrew Ramos,
CBS News,
7 Feb. 2026
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But after ducking the tax — the first step toward eventually resetting their heavy repeater penalties — the Celtics surely won’t want to jump right back into it.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In Texas, wind, solar and storage provided about 25% of power for the grid's 27 million customers -- a major increase over 2021 and a key reason blackouts were largely avoided, said John Hensley, a senior vice president at the American Clean Power Association, an industry group.—
MATTHEW DALY,
Arkansas Online,
8 Feb. 2026
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Healey avoided answering the question, instead stating that Massachusetts officials tipped off the feds to the $7 million SNAP fraud scheme uncovered by Foley’s office in December.—
Tim Dunn,
Boston Herald,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Canadians shunned American products in response to new tariffs.—
Juliana Kim,
NPR,
7 Feb. 2026
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Followers like Amresh Chawla say they are drawn to the group’s tenets of vegetarianism and strict moral code, specifically the mandate to shun intoxicants.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Despite the callouts during the walkabout, King Charles did not appear to respond, continuing down the line of people and shaking hands, the outlet said.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
6 Feb. 2026
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Last month, the largest protests to shake Iran in more than four decades led to a brutal crackdown.—
Cybele Mayes-Osterman,
USA Today,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Afterward, Denver7 heard from Douglas County residents, including a Parker woman who feels the move hinders productive conversations around local issues and is merely a way for the commissioners to dodge criticism and accountability.—
thedenverchannel.com,
Denver Post,
5 Feb. 2026
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Nate Paul, the one-time superstar Austin developer who played a central role in the impeachment of Attorney General Ken Paxton, dodged jail time again Monday.—
Paul Flahive,
Austin American Statesman,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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There were no sitters within that catalogue of misses — nothing toe-curling or likely to do a million views on YouTube — but his profligacy allowed Dortmund to escape with a 2-1 win.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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To escape Earth’s energy crunch, SpaceX is taking AI to orbit, where near-constant solar energy replaces Earth’s strained power grids.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Funk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/funk. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
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