What does funk mean?
Funk is a versatile English noun with several distinct senses. In contemporary usage it most prominently names a style of African American popular music that emerged in the mid-1960s, defined by syncopated rhythms, emphatic bass lines, and a strong emphasis on groove — pioneered by artists such as James Brown and Sly Stone. Separately, 'a funk' describes a low, despondent mental state, as when someone is said to be 'in a funk', a usage common in both British and American conversation. An older, chiefly British sense denoted sudden fear or panic — reportedly arising from Oxford slang about the choking effect of tobacco smoke — while another early sense referred to a strong, stale or unpleasant smell, preserved today mainly in the related adjective 'funky'. This layered history makes funk unusual: a single short word spanning emotion, sensation, and an influential musical movement, and its everyday use remains lively across all these registers.
A genre of danceable popular music with syncopated rhythms and prominent bass lines that developed from soul and jazz in the 1960s.
"The band's set was pure funk, built on tight horns and a relentless groove."
This is now the word's dominant sense.
A depressed, despondent, or listless state of mind.
"He has been in a funk since the project fell through."
Informal but very common in everyday speech on both sides of the Atlantic.
To shrink from something through fear or cowardice.
"He funked out of the final attempt and walked away."
Chiefly British and somewhat dated.
Rarely used in the plural; each sense of funk is usually discussed singly.
"Those old stories are full of characters seized by funks over trivial matters."
The 'fear' meaning of funk began as Oxford slang for the panic caused by tobacco smoke — which is why a word for stinky air became a word for terror, then for groovy basslines.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of funk
The word funk first appeared in English in the early seventeenth century, originally referring to a strong, unpleasant smell or stale tobacco smoke, and is generally traced through French 'funquier' (to smoke) ultimately from Latin roots connected with smoke or fungus-like odour. From this came an Oxford University slang usage in which the panic induced by tobacco smoke gave funk its sense of cowardly fear. The musical meaning arose much later, in the 1960s, when African American musicians applied the term — with its earthy, pungent connotations carried by the adjective 'funky' — to their new, intensely rhythmic style of soul and jazz.
Related word forms
How funk is actually used
The music sense dominates modern usage, especially in American English. The mood sense ('being in a funk') is common in everyday informal speech. The fear sense survives mainly in British English and older literature, often in the phrase 'to funk it'. The odour sense is largely historical but persists in the adjective 'funky'.
Easily confused with funk
Flunk means to fail an examination or course, whereas funk refers to fear, a low mood, or a style of music.