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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

funk out en · VERB

Meanings

  1. (dated, dialectal) To back out in a cowardly way; to chicken out.
    • to funk right out o' p'lit'cal strife 1848, James Russell Lowell, The Biglow Papers:
    • “What! why not? what's the meaning of this? are you funking out of it? You're all a set of cowards.” 1887, Frederick Whsihaw (translator), Fyodor Dostoevsky (original), The Gambler:
  2. To malfunction.
    • “I don't know; we've lost line-of-sight, and I think my com is funking out, too. Maybe the static discharge shorted it out. We're gonna have to backtrack and find everybody.” 2012, W. G. Marshall, Enormity:
    • Jack did not like it when his technology funked out, but with forty-three Marines keeping careful watch, he could at least search with the Mark I eyeball. 2013, Mark Shepherd, Kris Longknife: Defender:
  3. To rock out to funk music.
    • Dancing, energized, smiling at Wes, who was dressed to the nines with his cuffs rolled and slacks ironed, funking out to the tunes. 2022, Kelly Siskind, The Beat Match:
    • Maupin shines, particularly at 4:48 where he funks out, completely eschewing the tempo and expanding the palette of the band. 2018, Eric Wendell, Experiencing Herbie Hancock: A Listener's Companion:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
funked out Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
funked out Tense=Past lexicographic
funking out Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
funks out Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic