flunk

(flŭngk) Informal.

v., flunked, flunk·ing, flunks.

v.intr.
To fail, especially in a course or an examination.

v.tr.

1. To fail (an examination or course).
2. To give a failing grade to.

n.

1. The act or an instance of flunking.
2. A failing grade.

phrasal verb:

flunk out

1. To expel or be expelled from a school or course because of work that does not meet required standards.

[Origin unknown.]

flunker flunk'er n.

verb

To receive less than a passing grade: fail. See thrive/fail/exist.

Origin: 1823

American enthusiasm for the trappings of higher education has been evident since colonial days in the college words we have contributed to the English language, such as Alumnus (1696) and alumna (1882), fraternity (1777) and sorority (1900), campus (1774) and Valedictorian (1759), not to mention later innovations like coeducation (1852) and multiversity (1963). But we were also the first to flunk.

It happened at least as long ago as 1823, when the editors of a Yale College magazine, the Crayon, made a plea for subscribers: "To joke in earnest, gentlemen, we must have, at least, as many subscribers as there are students in College, or 'flunk out.'" And once we started to flunk out--or just plain flunk--in our lives and our courses, we never stopped. Back in 1856, to be sure, a dictionary of college words was hesitant about it, claiming that "The phrase 'to flunk out' was formerly used in some American colleges as is now the word 'flunk.'" Perhaps that underestimation was because flunk out then had something of a vulgar connotation, as explained in an 1873 dictionary: "'He flunked out' is low. 'He sneaked out,' or 'He backed out,' are better expressions to denote a mean or cowardly abandonment of an enterprise."

Much other language of that time, especially slang, has become outdated. For instance, we no longer use rush as in this 1877 essay on social life at Yale: "At the close of the daily morning service, which is held at ten minutes past eight o'clock, the students gather in the recitation-rooms, where they 'rush' or 'flunk,' according as they have studied the night before or been 'out on a lark.'" But to this day flunk has remained the slang word for academic failure.

From flunk comes flunky (1838). Originally a flunky was someone who flunked, that is, who failed, academically or otherwise. Then it was used for an ignorant new investor in the stock market. Those meanings led to the modern one of a person who holds a servile or menial position or who merely runs errands for someone else.

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Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The verb has one meaning:

Meaning #1: fail to get a passing grade
  Synonyms: fail, bomb, flush it

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Dansk (Danish)
v. intr. - kikse, bakke ud
v. tr. - lade dumpe, få dumpekarakter i
n. - dumpekarakter, dumpen

idioms:

• flunk out    dumpe

Nederlands (Dutch)
zakken, laten zakken, het zakken, niet gehaald examen

Français (French)
v. intr. - sécher, se faire virer
v. tr. - (US, École, Univ) rater, sécher sur
n. - échec, renvoi (d'un lycée)

idioms:

• flunk out    se faire virer, virer, renvoyer

Deutsch (German)
v. - durchfallen, nicht bestehen (Prüfung)
n. - Versagen, Fehlschlag

idioms:

• flunk out    rausfliegen

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - αποτυγχάνω (παταγωδώς), απορρίπτω/-ομαι, κόβω/-ομαι σε εξετάσεις

idioms:

• flunk out    εγκαταλείπω σχολή λόγω απόρριψης

Italiano (Italian)
essere bocciato, fallire

idioms:

• flunk out    essere espulso da scuola per scarso rendimento

Português (Portuguese)
v. - ser reprovado (em exame)

idioms:

• flunk out    ser expulso de um colégio (por incompetência)

Русский (Russian)
полный провал на экзамене

idioms:

• flunk out    быть отчисленным за неуспеваемость

Español (Spanish)
v. intr. - caer, fallar, quedar mal, fracasar
v. tr. - suspender
n. - fracaso, suspenso

idioms:

• flunk out    echar del colegio, etc. por haber fracasado en un examen

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - spricka, dra sig ur spelet, kugga

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
失败, 放弃, 考试不及格, 使不及格, 通不过, 给打不及格分数, 不及格

idioms:

• flunk out    退学

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
v. intr. - 失敗, 放棄, 考試不及格
v. tr. - 使不及格, 通不過, 給打不及格分數
n. - 失敗, 不及格

idioms:

• flunk out    退學

한국어 (Korean)
v. intr. - 실패하다, 손을 떼다
v. tr. - 실패하다, 퇴학 시키다
n. - 실패 , 낙제

idioms:

• flunk out    퇴학

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 失敗する, 落第する, あきらめる, しくじる, 落第点を付ける
n. - 失敗

idioms:

• flunk out    成績不良で退学する

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يسقط أو يخفق في امتحان‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. intr. - ‮נכשל לגמרי, ויתר‬
v. tr. - ‮נכשל בבחינה, פסל בבחינה‬
n. - ‮כישלון או פסילה בבחינה‬

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