What does flunked mean?
"Flunked" is the past tense of "flunk," an informal verb meaning to fail a test, examination, or course of study. A student who flunked an exam did not pass it, and someone who "flunked out" of school has been dismissed because of failing grades. The verb can also run in the other direction: an examiner or teacher can flunk a candidate, judging that person's work to be below standard. Though originally American college slang from the late nineteenth century, the word is now widely understood in Britain and elsewhere, where it sits alongside the more formal "failed" and the equally colloquial "bombed" or "flopped." Its connotations are mildly negative but often tinged with humor or self-deprecation — people say they flunked a quiz or a driving test with a shrug rather than shame. Because it applies almost exclusively to evaluations rather than general endeavors, "flunked" carries a precise, recognizable meaning: a clear, official verdict of failure.
verbPast tense and past participle of "flunk": to fail an examination, course, or test of any kind. Informally, it can also mean to fail someone else, as when an examiner flunks a candidate.
- To fail a test, exam, course, or other evaluation (most common).
- To judge someone as having failed, e.g. an examiner who flunks a candidate.
"She flunked her driving test for the third time."
"He flunked chemistry twice before switching majors."
"The strict examiner flunked half the class on the oral."
"Flunked" began as American college slang in the 1880s and was so vivid that it crossed the Atlantic and became the everyday word for academic failure.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of flunked
"Flunk" arose as American collegiate slang in the 1880s, first recorded among students at Harvard and other universities. Its ultimate origin is uncertain, though it has been suggested that it may be a humorous alteration of an earlier word or connected to "funk," an older slang term for fear or retreat. The verb spread beyond campus slang into general use and crossed to British English in the twentieth century.
Related word forms
How flunked is actually used
Informal register throughout; in formal or academic writing, "failed" is generally preferred over "flunked." The phrase "flunked out" specifically means being dismissed from school because of failing grades.
Easily confused with flunked
"Fluke" means a lucky or accidental success — the opposite outcome of flunking, which is outright failure.