funnel
Americannoun
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a cone-shaped utensil with a tube at the apex for conducting liquid or other substance through a small opening, as into a bottle, jug, or the like.
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a smokestack, especially of a steamship.
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a flue, tube, or shaft, as for ventilation.
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Eastern New England. a stovepipe.
verb (used with object)
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to concentrate, channel, or focus.
They funneled all income into research projects.
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to pour through or as if through a funnel.
verb (used without object)
noun
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a hollow utensil with a wide mouth tapering to a small hole, used for pouring liquids, powders, etc, into a narrow-necked vessel
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something resembling this in shape or function
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a smokestack for smoke and exhaust gases, as on a steamship or steam locomotive
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a shaft or tube, as in a building, for ventilation
verb
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to move or cause to move or pour through or as if through a funnel
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to concentrate or focus or be concentrated or focused in a particular direction
they funnelled their attention on the problem
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(intr) to take on a funnel-like shape
Other Word Forms
- funnel-like adjective
- funnellike adjective
Etymology
Origin of funnel
1375–1425; late Middle English fonel < Old Provençal fonilh ( Gascon ) < Vulgar Latin *fundibulum, for Latin infundibulum, derivative of infundere to pour in
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The company in 2021 made the decision to funnel its marketing efforts into women in the market for their first luxury handbag as they turn into adulthood.
As Silicon Valley now funnels untold riches into server farms around the country, Rizer said, “I wait for those guys to call me.”
Amazon has steadily grown as it funneled cash into its online business, adding new categories of goods, including high-ticket items such as luxury handbags and cars.
“To date, the story around Norwegian has been less about expanding the funnel and more about trying to just manage its share.”
The auction generates several million dollars annually -- last year, about $19.5 million -- that are then funneled into the country's health care system.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
