1
as in events
a social gathering
made a brief appearance at the annual holiday function
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in positions
an assignment at which one regularly works for pay
what's your function in this company?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in purposes
the action for which a person or thing is specially fitted or used or for which a thing exists
that machine's function is to sort bolts by size
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of functions
Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
So instead of preferring an arm or side the way most humans do, octopuses can use all of their arms for all functions, but do have a slight preference for those up front.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 11 Sep. 2025
At its peak, this is how the backup quarterback role functions.
—Jourdan Rodrigue, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
Executives say Anthropic’s models, hosted on AWS, outperformed OpenAI’s in key areas like generating financial functions in spreadsheets and producing more polished PowerPoint decks.
—Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 11 Sep. 2025
By connecting these functions early, brands cut time-to-market, eliminate costly sampling cycles and align design decisions with both market demand and sustainability goals.
—Sj Studio, Sourcing Journal, 4 Sep. 2025
The book functions as a set of nesting dolls, offering stories embedded in stories, a series of overlapping detours and evasions that ultimately coalesce as a vivid and coherent whole.
—Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
The result is a system that only functions in ideal environments and fails when real-life variabilities show up.
—Tejasri Gururaj, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2025
For example, your thyroid is going to affect the way your heart functions.
—Alexa Mikhail, Flow Space, 4 Sep. 2025
Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
The researchers also discovered a feedback loop between GH and a brainstem hub called the locus coeruleus, which functions to keep us alert.
—New Atlas, 8 Sep. 2025
Aside from being a militant group, Hezbollah also functions as a political party that has lawmakers in the legislature and a social services arm that serves many of its constituents, primarily in the south of the country.
—Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2025
This likely involves funds linked to a proprietary card that functions similarly to a debit or credit card.
—Metro Creative Services, Boston Herald, 31 Aug. 2025
Instead, stakeholders must embrace the reality that crypto now functions as an interconnected economy, demanding serious safeguards against systemic stress and contagion.
—Mark R. Weaver, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025
The mind actually functions more like an analog computer.
—Big Think, 20 Aug. 2025
Noun
Below, members of Forbes Coaches Council share 15 business functions that stand to be most affected by AI, along with some key precautions to take to ensure positive outcomes in these areas.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
So instead of preferring an arm or side the way most humans do, octopuses can use all of their arms for all functions, but do have a slight preference for those up front.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 11 Sep. 2025
At its peak, this is how the backup quarterback role functions.
—Jourdan Rodrigue, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
Executives say Anthropic’s models, hosted on AWS, outperformed OpenAI’s in key areas like generating financial functions in spreadsheets and producing more polished PowerPoint decks.
—Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 11 Sep. 2025
By connecting these functions early, brands cut time-to-market, eliminate costly sampling cycles and align design decisions with both market demand and sustainability goals.
—Sj Studio, Sourcing Journal, 4 Sep. 2025
The book functions as a set of nesting dolls, offering stories embedded in stories, a series of overlapping detours and evasions that ultimately coalesce as a vivid and coherent whole.
—Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
The result is a system that only functions in ideal environments and fails when real-life variabilities show up.
—Tejasri Gururaj, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2025
For example, your thyroid is going to affect the way your heart functions.
—Alexa Mikhail, Flow Space, 4 Sep. 2025
Verb
Several SSDs can be combined into a single RAID that then functions as a single drive.
—Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
The researchers also discovered a feedback loop between GH and a brainstem hub called the locus coeruleus, which functions to keep us alert.
—New Atlas, 8 Sep. 2025
Aside from being a militant group, Hezbollah also functions as a political party that has lawmakers in the legislature and a social services arm that serves many of its constituents, primarily in the south of the country.
—Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2025
This likely involves funds linked to a proprietary card that functions similarly to a debit or credit card.
—Metro Creative Services, Boston Herald, 31 Aug. 2025
Instead, stakeholders must embrace the reality that crypto now functions as an interconnected economy, demanding serious safeguards against systemic stress and contagion.
—Mark R. Weaver, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025
The mind actually functions more like an analog computer.
—Big Think, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for functions
Noun
-
Meanwhile, Usher, Meagan Good, and Jay-Z joined events that blended music, style, and philanthropy, reminding us just how many lanes the culture continues to dominate.—
Okla Jones,
Essence,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Movies are still big events, still consumed in long sittings, still treated as cultural monuments.—
Vibhas Ratanjee,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Unlike traditional venture investors tied to LP capital cycles, family offices tend to hold positions longer and are more likely to re-up in subsequent rounds.—
Lyssanoel Frater,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Toward commercial use Kepler positions the latest gait upgrade as expanding K2’s applicability in commercial and industrial settings.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The information provided in this article is for general informational and educational purposes only.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
-
In a 2004 study, the United States Institute of Peace said that hundreds of terrorist groups had migrated online, utilizing a tool meant for better communication for often nefarious purposes.—
Richard Frankel,
ABC News,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Dehydration may be involved, as alcohol acts as a diuretic, like caffeine.—
Colleen Doherty,
Verywell Health,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Crowe, in contrast, acts with consummate command even as Göring, by design, keeps the audience at arm’s length.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
How do members of political parties feel about political violence?—
Carlie Procell,
USA Today,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Contemporaneous evidence that the parties intended a loan and treated it as such is persuasive in court and practical with IRS auditors.—
Virginia La Torre Jeker,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Most recently, last year in Bangladesh, students mobilized to call for the end of a controversial quota system for government jobs.—
Juliana Kim,
NPR,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Her policy lens is rooted in her own experience growing up in a working-class family and juggling multiple jobs to pay the bills.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The original cast led by Brittany Snow and Malin Akerman will reprise their roles.—
Jackie Strause,
HollywoodReporter,
12 Sep. 2025
-
The Brazilian Supreme Court has broader powers than its counterpart in the United States, combining the roles of a constitutional court, an appeals court, and a first-instance court for politicians.—
Adriana Carranca,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond.—
Jason Lipshutz,
Billboard,
12 Sep. 2025
-
The local office of the OIJ in Quepos, which serves the central Pacific area of the country and is in the area where Miller Gardner died, told CNN on Friday that it was asked to expand its investigation into the case.—
Djenane Villanueva,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Functions.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/functions. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share