flunk

F4L1U1N1K5
/flʌŋk/

verb

Of a student, to fail a class; to not pass.

“He flunked math, again.”

Similar
failingfailbombflush it
UncommonScrabble 12
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Meanings

verbflunk (third-person singular simple present flunks, present participle flunking, simple past and past participle flunked)

present singular third person flunks · participle present flunking · participle past flunked · past flunked

  1. USambitransitiveOf a student, to fail a class; to not pass.

    He flunked math, again.

  2. UStransitiveOf a teacher, to deny a student a passing grade.

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

  3. USbroadlyTo fail any challenge
  4. USdatedinformalTo shirk (a task or duty).
  5. USTo 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.)

Synonyms & antonyms

nounfailure to reach a minimum required performance

Similar
failing
Broader
failure

verbfail to get a passing grade

Similar
failbombflush it
Broader
failneglect
Also see
bombfailfailingploughspin

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

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

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian скъсвам, пропадам
  • скъсвам (skăsvam)to deny a passing grade
  • пропадам (propadam)to fail
Chinese Mandarin 掛科 /挂科
  • 掛科 /挂科 (guàkē)to fail
Czech nechat propadnout, propadnout
  • nechat propadnoutto deny a passing grade
  • propadnoutto fail
  • vyletětto fail
  • rupnoutto fail
Dutch (voor) buizen, zakken
  • (voor) buizento fail
  • zakkento fail
Finnish reputtaa, saada reput
  • reputtaato fail
  • saada reputto fail
  • pompatato fail
French louper
  • louperto fail
German durchfallen lassen, durchfallen
  • durchfallen lassento deny a passing grade
  • durchfallento fail
Italian segare, cannare
  • segareto deny a passing grade
  • cannareto deny a passing grade
  • bocciareto deny a passing grade
  • bocciareto fail
  • trombareto fail
  • farsi bocciareto fail
  • non passareto fail
Japanese 失敗する
  • 失敗する (shippai surú)to fail
Korean 낙제(落第)하다
  • 낙제(落第)하다 (nakjehada)to fail
Polish oblewać, oblać
  • oblewaćto deny a passing grade
  • oblaćto deny a passing grade
  • oblewaćto fail
  • oblaćto fail
Portuguese reprovar, reprovar
  • reprovarto deny a passing grade
  • reprovarto fail
  • chumbarto fail
Romanian pica
  • picato fail
Russian вали́ть, провали́ть
  • вали́ть (valítʹ)to deny a passing grade
  • провали́ть (provalítʹ)to deny a passing grade
  • завали́ть (zavalítʹ)to deny a passing grade
  • провали́ться (provalítʹsja)to fail
  • завали́ть (zavalítʹ)to fail
Spanish aplazar, reprobar
  • aplazarto deny a passing grade
  • reprobarto deny a passing grade
  • suspenderto deny a passing grade
  • bocharto deny a passing grade
  • catearto deny a passing grade
  • rasparto deny a passing grade
  • poner nota rojato deny a passing grade
  • tronarto deny a passing grade
  • pepenarto deny a passing grade
  • jalarto deny a passing grade
  • puyarto deny a passing grade
  • guindarto deny a passing grade
Swedish kugga, köra
  • kuggato fail
  • körato fail
Vietnamese đánh hỏng, hỏng
  • đánh hỏngto deny a passing grade
  • hỏngto fail
  • thi trượtto fail

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with flunk

trunkfunkjunkunchunkchunkbunkdunkshrunksplunkcrunkthunkdebunkgunkplunkslunkkerplunkdegunkfrunkspelunk
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

flunk. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/flunk

MLA

“flunk.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/flunk. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “flunk,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/flunk.

Source: flunk on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.