1
: an old or badly working piece of machinery
especially
: a dilapidated automobile
2
: someone or something notably unsuccessful
told a joke that was a real clunker
Examples of clunker in a Sentence
My first car was an old clunker that kept breaking down.
That joke was a real clunker.
The director's recent films have all been clunkers.
Recent Examples on the Web
There was also a clunker in there when the Rams were embarrassed by the Arizona Cardinals.
—
Jay Paris, Forbes, 19 Oct. 2024
But you’re not doomed to a lifetime of orthopedic clunkers.
—Kristin Canning, SELF, 9 Oct. 2024
Yamamoto’s first three starts back had gotten progressively less impressive, following up a pair of four-inning efforts earlier this month with a three-inning, four-run clunker against the Rockies in Los Angeles last week.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2024
That’s probably for the best, as the movie’s dialogue largely consists of clunkers.
—Natalia Winkelman, IndieWire, 22 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for clunker 
Jay Paris, Forbes, 19 Oct. 2024
But you’re not doomed to a lifetime of orthopedic clunkers.
—Kristin Canning, SELF, 9 Oct. 2024
Yamamoto’s first three starts back had gotten progressively less impressive, following up a pair of four-inning efforts earlier this month with a three-inning, four-run clunker against the Rockies in Los Angeles last week.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2024
That’s probably for the best, as the movie’s dialogue largely consists of clunkers.
—Natalia Winkelman, IndieWire, 22 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for clunker
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'clunker.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near clunker
Cite this Entry
“Clunker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clunker. Accessed 30 Oct. 2024.
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