function

1. 1.

   perform as expected when applied

   “The washing machine won't go unless it's plugged in”

   “Does this old car still run well?”

   “This old radio doesn't work anymore”

   Synonymsworkoperategorun

   Antonymsmalfunction

   Narrowerdoublerollruncutservice
2. 2.

   serve a purpose, role, or function

   “The tree stump serves as a table”

   “The female students served as a control group”

   “This table would serve very well”

   “His freedom served him well”

   “The table functions as a desk”

   Synonymsserve

   Broadersuffice

   Narrowerpreludeact as
3. 3.

   perform duties attached to a particular office or place or function

   “His wife officiated as his private secretary”

   Synonymsofficiate

   Broaderserve

Other forms of function

plural

functions·

past tense

functioned·

present participle

functioning·

Forms marked · are formed by the regular rule rather than recorded in the source data. English keeps a few hundred irregulars and the rest follow the pattern, so the rule is right far more often than not — but it is a rule, and the mark says so.

Questions about function

What does function mean?

function means "(mathematics) a mathematical relation such that each element of a given set (the domain of the function) is associated with an element of another set (the range of the function)". That is the primary sense; the word has 10 in total, listed in full on this page.

How many syllables are in function?

function has 2 syllables: func-tion. The stress falls on "func". In IPA it is /ˈfʌŋkʃən/.

What is another word for function?

Close synonyms include mathematical function, single-valued function, map, mapping, purpose. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.

What is the opposite of function?

The recorded antonyms are malfunction.

Is function a common word?

function is banded "Common" — everyday vocabulary in speech and writing. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.

What rhymes with function?

1 word rhymes with function. Rhymes are matched on the phonemes from the last stressed vowel onward, which is the definition a reader has in their head.