verb, slang ·Moderate ·High school level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   failure to reach a minimum required performance wordnet

Verb

1. 1
   Of a student, to fail a class; to not pass. US, ambitransitive

   "He flunked math, again."

2. 2
   fail to get a passing grade wordnet
3. 3
   Of a teacher, to deny a student a passing grade. US, transitive

   "Unsatisfied with Fred's progress, the teacher flunked him."

4. 4
   To fail any challenge US, broadly
5. 5
   To shirk (a task or duty). US, dated, informal

Show 1 more definition

6. 6
   To back out through fear. (Commonly in the phrase 'flunk it', the 'it' referring to a specific task avoided; sometimes without specific reference, describing a person's attitude to life in general.) US

Synonyms

All synonyms

failbe found wantingbe unsuccessfulbollixbombbotch

Example

More examples

"If you flunk this exam, you'll have to repeat the course."

Etymology

Alteration of funk, or perhaps a blend of flinch + funk.

Related phrases

back outflunk out

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.