as in served
to have a certain purpose
the heart functions as a pump for the blood
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of functioned
This exciting new corner of Rome supports an emerging understanding of the eternal city, revealing that its growth was dependent on its suburbs and altering our comprehension of how Rome functioned and thrived.
—
Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 24 Jan. 2026
Beyond chart tallies, the Hottest 100 once again functioned as a cultural snapshot, with listeners tuning in from across Australia and overseas.
—Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 24 Jan. 2026
However, the cafe's roots go back even further, as Brewed Awakenings functioned as a gift basket and wholesale coffee supply seller for many years before opening its first storefront.
—Catherine Messier, The Providence Journal, 22 Jan. 2026
White says Sweet Auburn functioned as one of the city's major hubs of Black activism, alongside the Atlanta University Center and local churches.
—Daniel Wilkerson, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026
Through thought leadership and the celebration of outstanding work, the event has functioned less as a conference and more as a working laboratory for what non-interruptive brand creativity can look like.
—Jordan P. Kelley, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
Its songs felt engineered for a highly distinct mood, and his voice, a husky brooding tone that was grizzled by Auto-Tune, functioned more as another instrument in the mix than typical vocals.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 21 Jan. 2026
The 9,000-square-foot main house sits on a one-and-a-half-acre parcel, along with a two-story annex that functioned as Carson’s personal office.
—India Roby, Architectural Digest, 21 Jan. 2026
The entry-level work that once functioned as a professional apprenticeship—research, synthesis, junior coding, coordination—is now being handled by autonomous systems.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 20 Jan. 2026
Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 24 Jan. 2026
Beyond chart tallies, the Hottest 100 once again functioned as a cultural snapshot, with listeners tuning in from across Australia and overseas.
—Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 24 Jan. 2026
However, the cafe's roots go back even further, as Brewed Awakenings functioned as a gift basket and wholesale coffee supply seller for many years before opening its first storefront.
—Catherine Messier, The Providence Journal, 22 Jan. 2026
White says Sweet Auburn functioned as one of the city's major hubs of Black activism, alongside the Atlanta University Center and local churches.
—Daniel Wilkerson, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026
Through thought leadership and the celebration of outstanding work, the event has functioned less as a conference and more as a working laboratory for what non-interruptive brand creativity can look like.
—Jordan P. Kelley, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
Its songs felt engineered for a highly distinct mood, and his voice, a husky brooding tone that was grizzled by Auto-Tune, functioned more as another instrument in the mix than typical vocals.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 21 Jan. 2026
The 9,000-square-foot main house sits on a one-and-a-half-acre parcel, along with a two-story annex that functioned as Carson’s personal office.
—India Roby, Architectural Digest, 21 Jan. 2026
The entry-level work that once functioned as a professional apprenticeship—research, synthesis, junior coding, coordination—is now being handled by autonomous systems.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 20 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for functioned
Verb
-
Miami's Mario Cristobal served several roles at Alabama from assistant head coach to recruiting coordinator while being part of the 2015 championship that also included Lanning as a grad assistant.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Warren arrived at Boise State in 2022 and spent four seasons with the Broncos, having previously served as the head coach of the Big Sky’s Southern Utah for six seasons.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
No federal officials have provided evidence suggesting Pretti acted violently toward federal agents in Minneapolis.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
28 Jan. 2026
-
The Department of Homeland Security said the agent acted in self-defense while attempting to disarm Pretti.—
Christopher Harris,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The Bulls called a timeout and worked the ball to Huerter, who nailed a 3 from the corner with less than a second remaining.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
25 Jan. 2026
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Older systems worked from rigid templates and failed when markets introduced exceptions.—
Kolawole Samuel Adebayo,
Forbes.com,
25 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Functioned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/functioned. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
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