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Definition of function verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

function

verb
 
/ˈfʌŋkʃn/
 
/ˈfʌŋkʃn/
[intransitive] (rather formal)
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they function
 
/ˈfʌŋkʃn/
 
/ˈfʌŋkʃn/
he / she / it functions
 
/ˈfʌŋkʃnz/
 
/ˈfʌŋkʃnz/
past simple functioned
 
/ˈfʌŋkʃnd/
 
/ˈfʌŋkʃnd/
past participle functioned
 
/ˈfʌŋkʃnd/
 
/ˈfʌŋkʃnd/
-ing form functioning
 
/ˈfʌŋkʃənɪŋ/
 
/ˈfʌŋkʃənɪŋ/
Phrasal Verbs
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  1. to work in the correct way synonym operate
    • We now have a functioning shower.
    • + adv./prep. Despite the power cuts, the hospital continued to function normally.
    • Many children can't function effectively in large classes.
    • (humorous) I can't function properly without a coffee.
    Extra Examples
    • All the instruments were functioning normally.
    • Can we devise a system in which judges function independently of party politics?
    • My brain could barely function through the pain.
    • Problems arise when the body's immune system is not functioning adequately.
    • The bombs continued to fall, but somehow the city still functioned.
    • The group has now become a fully functioning political organization.
    • The organization functions primarily through volunteer efforts.
    • This model does not describe accurately the way a market economy actually functions.
    • When nutrients are in short supply the body cannot function normally.
    • a system in which judges function independently of politics
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • effectively
    • efficiently
    • smoothly
    verb + function
    • be able to
    • be unable to
    • can
    phrases
    • fully functioning
    See full entry
    Word Originmid 16th cent.: from French fonction, from Latin functio(n-), from fungi ‘perform’.
See function in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee function in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
previously
adverb
 
 
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