flunk

Alteration of funk, or perhaps a blend of flinch +‎ funk.

• IPA^(key): /flʌŋk/

  • Audio (Southern England)

    (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌŋk

flunk (third-person singular simple present flunks, present participle flunking, simple past and past participle flunked)

1. (US, transitive, intransitive) Of a student, to fail a class; to not pass.

   He flunked math, again.

2. (US, transitive) Of a teacher, to deny a student a passing grade.

   Unsatisfied with Fred's progress, the teacher flunked him.

3. (US, dated, informal) To shirk (a task or duty).
4. To back out through fear. (Commonly in the phrase 'flunk it', the 'it' referring to a specific task avoided; sometimes without specific reference, describing a person's attitude to life in general.)

• flunk out