as in failing
Related Words
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Dissimilar Words
as in collapsing
to be unsuccessful
the movie flunks, both as entertainment and as a dramatization of a historical incident
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of flunking
David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 20 Mar. 2026
For its misleading omissions, the Times story deserves a flunking grade.
—Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Jan. 2026
For its misleading omissions, the Times story deserves a flunking grade.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 2 Jan. 2026
Conservatives, with few exceptions, united behind her, arguing the controversy was an example of a left-wing instructor flunking a student over their Christian beliefs.
—Jo Yurcaba, NBC news, 14 Dec. 2025
The coursework was intense, and the two struggled, even flunking some classes.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 28 Nov. 2025
Like the Phillies, they were weakened by a key player — ex-Padre Jurickson Profar — being suspended 80 games for flunking a PED test.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Aug. 2025
Verb
Or the employee cafeteria in the chains’ corporate overlord’s headquarters flunking an inspection?
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 20 Mar. 2026
For its misleading omissions, the Times story deserves a flunking grade.
—Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Jan. 2026
For its misleading omissions, the Times story deserves a flunking grade.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 2 Jan. 2026
Conservatives, with few exceptions, united behind her, arguing the controversy was an example of a left-wing instructor flunking a student over their Christian beliefs.
—Jo Yurcaba, NBC news, 14 Dec. 2025
The coursework was intense, and the two struggled, even flunking some classes.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 28 Nov. 2025
Like the Phillies, they were weakened by a key player — ex-Padre Jurickson Profar — being suspended 80 games for flunking a PED test.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flunking
Adjective
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The state graded the campus an F for three consecutive years, meaning two more failing grades could trigger an intervention.—
Noah Alcala Bach,
San Antonio Express-News,
1 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Set in a collapsing Caracas, the film follows a woman who returns home after her mother’s funeral to find her apartment taken over by an armed militia.—
Adam Bell
April 2,
Charlotte Observer,
2 Apr. 2026
-
The industry was at risk of collapsing—until the physical chemist Fritz Haber, at the behest of the German Supreme Command, managed to take a common by-product of dye manufacture and weaponize it.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Girlfriend scales the diaristic, bric-a-brac charm of Janky Star into a high-drama pop monument to trying, flopping, and trying even harder next time.—
Hattie Lindert,
Pitchfork,
20 Mar. 2026
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Cutting stems back by one-third their height will help plants resist flopping under the weight of the flowers.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The MorphoScan is even missing a couple of quality-of-life features present on the Etekcity scale, including a safe mode for pregnant women and pacemaker users that disables the BIA electrical current for weight-only measurements.—
Andrew Gebhart,
PC Magazine,
5 Apr. 2026
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Before the opening faceoff there was a tribute to Vancouver native Evander Kane, who returned to the lineup to play his 1,001st game after missing the last two games with an undisclosed injury.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In the poor quarters of New Delhi, households struggling to pay for gas fired up chulhas, old-school wood-burning stoves, and hoped their tinder supplies held.—
Nathan Heller,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
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Lillibridge says the prices are piling onto an already struggling industry.—
Lana Zak,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flunking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flunking. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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