Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense functions, present participle functioning, past tense functioned
1. countable noun
The function of something or someone is the useful thing that they do or are intended to do.
The main function of the merchant banks is to raise capital for industry. [+ of]
Synonyms: purpose, business, job, concern More Synonyms of function
2. verb
If a machine or system is functioning, it is working or operating.
The authorities say the prison is now functioning normally. [VERB]
Conservation programs cannot function without local support. [VERB]
Synonyms: work, run, operate, perform More Synonyms of function
3. verb
If someone or something functionsas a particular thing, they do the work or fulfil the purpose of that thing.
On weekdays, one third of the room functions as workspace. [VERB + as]
Synonyms: act, serve, operate, perform More Synonyms of function
4. countable noun
A function is a series of operations that a computer performs, for example when a single key or a combination of keys is pressed.
5. countable noun [usually singular]
If you say that one thing is afunctionof another, you mean that its amount or nature depends on the other thing.
[formal]
Investment is a function of the interest rate. [+ of]
6. countable noun
A function is a large formal dinner or party.
More Synonyms of function
function in British English
(ˈfʌŋkʃən)
noun
1.
the natural action or intended purpose of a person or thing in a specific role
the function of a hammer is to hit nails into wood
2.
an official or formal social gathering or ceremony
3.
a factor dependent upon another or other factors
the length of the flight is a function of the weather
4. Also called: map, mapping mathematics, logic
a relation between two sets that associates a unique element (the value) of the second (the range) with each element (the argument) of the first (the domain): a many-one relation. Symbol: f(x) The value of f(x) for x = 2 is f(2)
verb(intransitive)
5.
to operate or perform as specified; work properly
6. (foll by as)
to perform the action or role (of something or someone else)
a coin may function as a screwdriver
Derived forms
functionless (ˈfunctionless)
adjective
Word origin
C16: from Latin functiō, from fungī to perform, discharge
function in American English
(ˈfʌŋkʃən)
noun
1.
the normal or characteristic action of anything; esp., any of the natural, specialized actions of a system, organ, or part of an animal or plant
the procreative function
2.
a special duty or performance required in the course of work or activity
the function of an auditor, the function of the brakes
3.
occupation or employment
4.
a formal ceremony or elaborate social occasion
5.
a thing that depends on and varies with something else
6.
a.
an action which is part of a series leading to a resulting action
b.
an operational instruction for programming an electronic device, as a digital watch, computer, etc.; also, an operation performed by such a device as a result of such an instruction
7.
any of the roles that a linguistic form can fulfill in an utterance
8. Ancient Mathematics
an association between two sets in which each element of one set has one assigned element in the other set: any selected element becomes the independent variable and its associated element is the dependent variable
y = f(x) means y is a function of x
verb intransitive
9.
to act in a required or expected manner; work
10.
to have a function; serve or be used (as)
SYNONYMY NOTE: function is the broad, general term for the natural, required, or expected activity of a personor thing [the function of the liver, of education, etc.]; office, in this connection, refers to the function of a person, as determined by his position,profession, or employment [the office of a priest]; duty is applied to a task necessary in or appropriate to one's occupation, rank, status,etc. and carries a strong connotation of obligation [the duties of a vicar]; capacity refers to a specific function or status, not necessarily the usual or customary one[the judge spoke to him in the capacity of a friend]
Derived forms
functionless (ˈfunctionless)
adjective
Word origin
OFr < L functio < pp. of fungi, to perform < IE base *bheug-, to enjoy > Sans bhuṅktē, (he) enjoys
function in Hospitality
(fʌŋkʃən)
Word forms: (regular plural) functions
noun
(Hospitality (hotel): General)
A function is a large formal dinner or party.
COLLOCATIONS: hold a ~host a ~
The hotel added a ballroom to cater for functions and weddings.
Our hotel is ideal for hosting your wedding celebration or other function.
The function suite is well equipped for seminars, conferences, and functions.
function room
Examples of 'function' in a sentence
function
Dell was right as usual: gone were the days when he could function effectively without regular sleep.
Parkes, Roger RIOT (2002)
He understood enough about psychology to realize that in order for any group to function properly, there had to be a focus for their scorn.
Val McDermid THE LAST TEMPTATION (2002)
Somewhere deep inside Petra, a computer was at work, assessing priorities, directing function.
Mark Burnell THE RHYTHM SECTION (2002)
In other languages
function
British English: function NOUN
The function of something or someone is the useful thing that they do or are intended to do.
The main function of the merchant banks is to raise capital for industry.
American English: function
Brazilian Portuguese: função
Chinese: 作用
European Spanish: función
French: fonction
German: Funktion
Italian: funzione
Japanese: 機能
Korean: 기능
European Portuguese: função
Latin American Spanish: función
British English: function VERB
If a machine or system is functioning, it is working or operating.
The authorities say the prison is now functioning normally.
American English: function
Brazilian Portuguese: funcionar
Chinese: 运作
European Spanish: funcionar
French: fonctionner
German: funktionieren
Italian: funzionare
Japanese: 機能する
Korean: 기능하다
European Portuguese: funcionar
Latin American Spanish: funcionar
All related terms of 'function'
flow function
The flow function is the relationship between the strength of a compact and the degree of compaction.
function key
Function keys are the keys along the top of a computer keyboard, usually numbered from F 1 to F12. Each key is designed to make a particular thing happen when you press it.
function room
a room designated for official or formal social gatherings or ceremonies
function word
a word, such as the , with a particular grammatical role but little identifiable meaning
step function
an electrical waveform that rises or falls instantly from one level to another
wave function
a mathematical function of position and generally time, used in wave mechanics to describe the state of a physical system
work function
the minimum energy required to transfer an electron from a point within a solid to a point just outside its surface
bodily function
A person's bodily functions are the normal physical processes that regularly occur in their body, particularly the ability to urinate and defecate .
function creep
the gradual widening of the use of a technology or system beyond the purpose for which it was originally intended, esp when this leads to potential invasion of privacy
function shift
a change in the syntactic function of a word, as when the noun mushroom is used as an intransitive verb
function suite
a room designated for official or formal social gatherings or ceremonies
gamma function
a function defined by Γ( x ) = ∫ 0 ∞ t x– 1 e –t d t , where x is real and greater than zero
Gibbs function
a thermodynamic property of a system equal to the difference between its enthalpy and the product of its temperature and its entropy . It is usually measured in joules
state function
a thermodynamic quantity that has definite values for given states of a system, such as entropy , enthalpy , free energy , etc
truth-function
a function that determines the truth-value of a complex sentence solely in terms of the truth-values of the component sentences without reference to their meaning
vital function
any function of the body that is essential for life
algebraic function
any function which can be constructed in a finite number of steps from the elementary operations and the inverses of any function already constructed
circular function
any of a group of functions of an angle expressed as a ratio of two of the sides of a right-angled triangle containing the angle. The group includes sine , cosine , tangent , secant , cosecant , and cotangent
composite function
a function obtained from two given functions, where the range of one function is contained in the domain of the second function, by assigning to an element in the domain of the first function that element in the range of the second function whose inverse image is the image of the element
density function
a function representing the relative distribution of frequency of a continuous random variable from which parameters such as its mean and variance can be derived and having the property that its integral from a to b is the probability that the variable lies in this interval . Its graph is the limiting case of a histogram as the amount of data increases and the class intervals decrease in size
explicit function
a function whose values may be computed directly , as y = x 2 + 1
Helmholtz function
a thermodynamic property of a system equal to the difference between its internal energy and the product of its temperature and its entropy
implicit function
the mathematical rule or function which permits computation of one variable directly from another when an equation relating both variables is given ( Ex .: y is an implicit function of x in the equation x + y 3 + 2x 2 y + xy = 0)
inverse function
the set of pairs arrived at when the first and second elements of the pairs in the original function are interchanged
periodic function
a function, such as sin x , whose value is repeated at constant intervals
piecewise function
a function whose definition changes depending on the value of the independent variable
recursive function
a function defined in terms of the repeated application of a number of simpler functions to their own values, by specifying a base clause and a recursion formula
standard function
a subprogram provided by a translator that carries out a task , for example the computation of a mathematical function, such as sine , square root, etc
transfer function
The transfer function of a circuit is the ratio of the response to the input .
trapdoor function
a function defined from data by means of a mathematical procedure in such a way that it is easy to obtain the function when the data are known, but when the procedure and data are not known it becomes very difficult to determine the original data: used in cryptography , where the data are the characters of the plain text , or message , and the trapdoor function is the cryptogram
utility function
a function relating specific goods and services in an economy to individual preferences
continuous function
a mathematical function such that a small change in the independent variable , or point of the domain , produces only a small change in the value of the function
distribution function
a function defined on the sample space of a distribution and taking as its value at each point the probability that the random variable has that value or less. The function F ( x ) = P ( X ≤ x ) where X is the random variable, which is the sum or integral of the probability density function of the distribution
hyperbolic function
any of a group of functions of an angle expressed as a relationship between the distances of a point on a hyperbola to the origin and to the coordinate axes. The group includes sinh ( hyperbolic sine ), cosh ( hyperbolic cosine ), tanh ( hyperbolic tangent ), sech ( hyperbolic secant ), cosech ( hyperbolic cosecant ), and coth ( hyperbolic cotangent )
logarithmic function
the mathematical function y = log x
polymorphic function
a function in a computer program that can deal with a number of different types of data
probability function
the function the values of which are probabilities of the distinct outcomes of a discrete random variable
propositional function
an expression containing at least one variable , that becomes a proposition when a constant is substituted for the variable ( Ex .: x is a man)
sentential function
→ propositional function
trigonometric function
any of a group of functions of an angle expressed as a ratio of two of the sides of a right-angled triangle containing the angle. The group includes sine , cosine , tangent , secant , cosecant , and cotangent
characteristic function
a function that assigns the value 1 to the members of a given set and the value 0 to its nonmembers
transcendental function
a function that is not capable of expression in terms of a finite number of arithmetical operations , such as sin x
joint density function
a function of two or more random variables from which can be obtained a single probability that all the variables in the function will take specified values or fall within specified intervals
probability density function
a function representing the relative distribution of frequency of a continuous random variable from which parameters such as its mean and variance can be derived and having the property that its integral from a to b is the probability that the variable lies in this interval . Its graph is the limiting case of a histogram as the amount of data increases and the class intervals decrease in size
eigenfunction
a function satisfying a differential equation , esp an allowed function for a system in wave mechanics
grammatical word
a word, such as the , with a particular grammatical role but little identifiable meaning
linear transformation
a map from one vector space to a vector space having the same field of scalars , with the properties that the map of the sum of two vectors is the sum of the maps of the vectors and the map of a scalar times a vector equals the scalar times the map of the vector
cumulative distribution function
a function defined on the sample space of a distribution and taking as its value at each point the probability that the random variable has that value or less. The function F ( x ) = P ( X ≤ x ) where X is the random variable, which is the sum or integral of the probability density function of the distribution
Chinese translation of 'function'
function
(ˈfʌŋkʃən)
n(c)
(= role) 作用 (zuòyòng) (种(種), zhǒng)
(frm, = product)
to be a function of sth取决(決)于(於)某物 (qǔjué yú mǒuwù)
(= social occasion) 社交聚会(會) (shèjiāo jùhuì)
vi
[system, process]运(運)行 (yùnxíng)
[device]运(運)转(轉) (yùnzhuǎn)
to function as起 ... 的作用 (qǐ ... de zuòyòng)
1 (noun)
Definition
the intended role or purpose of a person or thing
The main function of merchant banks is to raise capital.
Synonyms
purpose
business
Parenting can be a stressful business.
job
Their main job is to preserve health rather than treat illness.
concern
The technical aspects are not my concern.
use
part
He felt a sense of relief now that his part in this business was over.
office
the honour and dignity of the office of President
charge
I did not consider it any part of my charge to come up with marketing ideas.
role
His role in the events has been pivotal.
post
Sir Peter has held several senior military posts.
operation
situation
activity
exercise
Leadership does not rest on the exercise of force alone.
responsibility
The 600 properties were his responsibility.
task
He had the unenviable task of breaking the bad news.
duty
My duty is to look after the animals.
mission
He viewed his mission in life as protecting the weak from evil.
employment
She was unable to find employment in the area.
capacity
She was visiting in her official capacity as co-chairperson.
province
Opera remained largely the province of the aristocracy.
occupation
I was looking for an occupation which would allow me to travel.
raison d'être (French)
2 (noun)
Definition
a factor, the precise nature of which depends upon another thing in some way
Your success will be a function of how well you can work.
Synonyms
result
This is the result of eating too much fatty food.
effect
the psychological effects of head injuries
consequence
Her lawyers said she understood the consequences of her actions.
outcome
It's too early to predict the outcome of the race.
end result
3 (noun)
Definition
an official or formal social gathering
We were going down to a function in London.
Synonyms
reception
a glittering wedding reception
party
We threw a huge birthday party.
affair
gathering
He spoke today before a large gathering of world leaders.
bash (informal)
one of the biggest showbiz bashes of the year
lig (British, slang)
social occasion
soiree
do (informal)
They always have all-night dos there.
1 (verb)
Definition
to operate or work
The authorities say the prison is now functioning properly.
Synonyms
work
The pump doesn't work and we have no running water.
run
the staff who have kept the bank running
operate
The machine operates at a pace of just 2 miles per hour.
perform
This car performs well.
be in business
be in running order
be in operation or action
go
My car isn't going very well at the moment.
2 (verb)
Definition
to perform the action or role of (something or someone else)
On weekdays, one third of the room functions as a workspace.
Synonyms
act
He acted as both ship's surgeon and as chaplain to the men.