What does "funk" mean?
Foul or unpleasant smell, especially body odor.
Funk
/fʌŋk/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Foul or unpleasant smell, especially body odor.
- Grammar: funk is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: abject fear, affright, alarm, awe.
- Useful contrasts: aroma, cheerfulness, commit.
- Usage evidence: This song samples a bunch of old American funk records from the 70s using equipment from the 90s.
How to use "funk"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "funk" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "funk" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "funk" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "funk" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "funk" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abject fear" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "funk", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Foul or unpleasant smell, especially body odor. countable
"The foulest stench is in the air; the funk of 40,000 years and grizzly ghouls from every tomb are closing in to seal your doom."
- 2 Touchwood, punk, tinder. obsolete
- 3 Mental depression. countable
"I've been in a funk lately, I fell into a funk, I slipped into a funk, I was stuck in a funk"
- 4 an earthy type of jazz combining it with blues and soul; has a heavy bass line that accentuates the first beat in the bar wordnet
- 5 A style of music derived from 1960s soul music, with elements of rock and other styles, characterized by a prominent bass guitar, dance-friendly sound, a strong emphasis on the downbeat, and much syncopation. uncountable
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 A state of fear or panic, especially cowardly. uncountable
"[The helmsman] steered with no end of a swagger while you were by; but if he lost sight of you, he became instantly the prey of an abject funk […]"
- 7 a state of nervous depression wordnet
- 8 One who fears or panics; a coward. countable
"It is the long probation in the old way of teaching that fellows funk at or makes funks of them and their slow pace, almost up to the end of that probation, all who teach themselves are in a worse predicament as the hands with them are made the principle propellors instead of the feet."
Verb
- 1 To emit an offensive smell; to stink. intransitive
- 2 To shrink from, or avoid something because of fear. ambitransitive
"He'll have funked it, when he comes to the edge, and sees nothing but mist below"
- 3 draw back, as with fear or pain wordnet
- 4 To envelop with an offensive smell or smoke. transitive
"He funks Basketia and her son to death"
- 5 To frighten; to cause to flinch. transitive
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 To perform funk music. intransitive
"From the earliest part of this decade when he funked in relative obscurity to his days as a superstar with the release of his Batman soundtrack last summer, I could almost always count on Prince."
- 7 Fuck (the taboo swear word). euphemistic, slang
"Funk this!"
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"This song samples a bunch of old American funk records from the 70s using equipment from the 90s."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "funk"?
Common synonyms include: abject fear, affright, alarm, awe, baby, back out.
How do you use "funk" in a sentence?
This song samples a bunch of old American funk records from the 70s using equipment from the 90s.
How do you pronounce "funk"?
Pronounced /fʌŋk/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
1620, from French dialectal (Norman) funquer, funquier (“to smoke, reek”), from Old Northern French fungier (“to smoke”), from Vulgar Latin fūmicāre, alteration of Latin fūmigāre (“to smoke, fumigate”). Related to French dialect funkière (“smoke”). More at fumigate.
Etymology 2
From Middle English funke, fonke (“spark”), from Old English *funca (“spark”), from Proto-Germanic *funkô (“spark”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)peng- (“to shine”). Cognate with Middle Low German funke, fanke (“spark”), Middle Dutch vonke (“spark”), Old High German funcho, funko (“spark”), German Funke (“spark”). See also spunk.
Etymology 3
1743, Scottish and Northern English dialectal word, originally a verb meaning “to panic, fail due to panic”. Perhaps from or cognate with obsolete Dutch fonck (“distress, agitation”), from Middle Dutch fonck (“perturbation, agitation”). More at flunk.