1
: an old or badly working piece of machinery
especially
: a dilapidated automobile
2
: someone or something notably unsuccessful
told a joke that was a real clunker
Examples of clunker in a Sentence
My first car was an old clunker that kept breaking down.
That joke was a real clunker.
The director's recent films have all been clunkers.
Recent Examples on the Web
Bernie Moreno doesn’t see the bill as a clunker, but the Ohio Republican is seeking a series of tweaks to the legislation that are focused on cars and trucks.
—
Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 9 June 2025
Alan Fox’s script is rife with clunkers (the somnolent Ilfenesh Hadera, as David’s wife Pam, explains with haunting detail which items of decor on the dining table can be moved where by the police), and the intrusive score is the equivalent of garish wall-to-wall carpeting.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 20 May 2025
Haliburton now has two clunkers to his name in these playoffs.
—Sam Settleman, New York Times, 31 May 2025
The defeat, which featured a gem from the Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a clunker from Carlos Rodón and a home run from Juan Soto, put the Yankees in a 2-0 hole in the Fall Classic.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for clunker
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Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 9 June 2025
Alan Fox’s script is rife with clunkers (the somnolent Ilfenesh Hadera, as David’s wife Pam, explains with haunting detail which items of decor on the dining table can be moved where by the police), and the intrusive score is the equivalent of garish wall-to-wall carpeting.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 20 May 2025
Haliburton now has two clunkers to his name in these playoffs.
—Sam Settleman, New York Times, 31 May 2025
The defeat, which featured a gem from the Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a clunker from Carlos Rodón and a home run from Juan Soto, put the Yankees in a 2-0 hole in the Fall Classic.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for clunker
Cite this Entry
“Clunker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clunker. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
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