flunk
flunk
Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling & Syllabication
IPA: /flʌŋk/
This word consists of one syllable. The sounds are broken down as follows:
f - /f/ (a voiceless labiodental fricative, like the 'f' in "fish")
l - /l/ (a voiced alveolar lateral approximant, like the 'l' in "lip")
u - /ʌ/ (a near-open central unrounded vowel, like the 'u' in "strut" or "cup")
n - /ŋ/ (a voiced velar nasal, like the 'ng' in "sing")
k - /k/ (a voiceless velar plosive, like the 'k' in "kick")
Word Form Variations
Verb (base form): flunk
Verb (present participle): flunking
Verb (past tense/past participle): flunked
Verb (third-person singular): flunks
Noun (singular): flunk
Noun (plural): flunks
Derived Nouns (agent/recipient): flunker (one who flunks), flunkee (one who is flunked)
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Verb (informal)
(intransitive) To fail to achieve a passing grade or meet the required standard, especially in an academic test, course, or assignment.
Example: "If I don't study for the final, I'm definitely going to flunk."
Synonyms: fail, bomb, founder, flop
Antonyms: pass, succeed, excel, triumph
(transitive) To give a failing grade to (a student).
Example: "The professor had to flunk half the class for not completing the project."
Synonyms: fail, give a failing grade to
Antonyms: pass, approve
Noun (informal)
A failure to pass; a failing grade.
Example: "He got two As and a flunk on his report card."
Synonyms: failure, failing grade, F
Antonyms: pass, success, A+
Examples of Use
In Books
"You can get all A's and still flunk life." (Attributed to Walker Percy, The Second Coming)
"If you are a student you should always get a good nights sleep unless you have come to the good part of your book, and then you should stay up all night and let your schoolwork fall by the wayside, a phrase which means 'flunk'." (Lemony Snicket, The Beatrice Letters)
In Newspapers & Online Publications
In an article about free speech on college campuses, The Times of India used the headline: "An 'F' for free speech: Barnard ranks last as US colleges flunk the test." (September 2025)
The Carolina Journal reported on an education standards debate, stating a new report "argues that North Carolina's controversial social studies standards flunk the test on history and civics, ranking worst in the Southeast." (July 2021)
Banker & Tradesman discussed financial pressures on universities with the headline: "Will Higher Ed Building Projects Flunk the Test?" (September 2025)
In Entertainment
In the screenplay for the 1985 film The Goonies, one character's father yells at him, "You had to go and flunk your driving test!"
In the 1978 film Grease, the song "Reproduction" from the unused animated opening sequence includes the lyric: "Don't flunk your funk, you'll wind up a punk."
In the TV series Gilmore Girls, Paris Geller, known for her intense academic focus, often expresses a deep-seated fear that she will fail a test or assignment, or in her words, "flunk out."
In General Public Discourse
On social media platforms and forums like Reddit, it's common to see users share personal experiences, such as: "I just flunked my first test in a history class, how the hell can I come back from this?"
In casual conversation, someone might say, "I'm so worried I'm going to flunk my driver's test tomorrow," or "He barely studied and still managed to pass, but I thought for sure he'd flunk."
10 Famous Quotes Using Flunk
You can get all A's and still flunk life. (Walker Percy)
Anyone who would answer, I would flunk. (Warren Buffett, on valuing internet companies)
I'm supposed to have a Ph.D. on the subject of women. But the truth is I've flunked more often than not. (Frank Sinatra)
It is alright with me if you flunk me though as I'm flunking everything else except English anyway. (J.D. Salinger)
Sometimes I can't figure designers out. It's as if they flunked human anatomy. (Erma Bombeck)
How you treat the helpless is the real test of morality. Lots of people are flunking that test big time. (Thomas Sowell)
That's correct, I flunked out of high school twice because I couldn't write. (Robert Kiyosaki)
You may flunk your exams in school and still make it in life, but if you flunk life's exams, you're sunk! (Chris Oyakhilome)
The best students always are flunking. (Robert M. Pirsig)
We are a nation of children letting horrible things happen, and flunking Calc. (Daniel Handler)
Etymology
The word flunk is American slang that first showed up in the early 1800s.
Its exact origin isn't perfectly clear, but the most popular theory is that it's a mashup of two other words: "flinch" (to shrink back from something) and "funk" (to be in a state of fear or panic).
First Known Use: The word first appeared around 1823, specifically as slang among students at Yale University.
Original Meaning: Before it meant just "failing a test," it had a slightly broader meaning: "to back out," "to give up," or "to fail completely," especially out of fear or incompetence.
You can imagine how this slang term caught on. A student who was too scared or unprepared to face an exam might "flinch" or get into a "funk" about it, and from there, the slang "flunk" was born to describe the act of backing out or ultimately failing. Over time, its meaning narrowed to the academic failure we know today.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Flunk
To flunk out (To be expelled from an institution, usually a school or university, due to failing grades.)
To flunk a test (A common phrase for failing any specific examination.)
To flunk with flying colors (An ironic phrase implying a spectacular or complete failure.)
To bomb (an exam/a performance) (A common idiom meaning to fail badly.)
To crash and burn (To fail completely and disastrously.)
To fall flat (When an attempt, like a joke or proposal, completely fails to have its intended effect.)
To flunk the (sniff/smell) test (A variation of "pass the sniff test," meaning to be deemed illegitimate, suspicious, or simply not good enough upon first inspection.)
To go down in flames (To fail in a very public and dramatic way.)
To not make the grade (To fail to meet the required standard or level of quality.)
A flunk and funk (An original phrase describing the state of depression or panic that follows a significant failure.)
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of flunk from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
