function

noun

OPAL WOPAL S

/ˈfʌŋkʃn/

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[countable, uncountable] a special activity or purpose of a person or thing
- The club serves a useful function as a meeting place.
- to fulfil/perform a function
- What is your function in the department?
- bodily functions (= for example eating, sex, using the toilet)
- The function of the heart is to pump blood through the body.
- This design aims for harmony of form and function.
Extra Examples
- Fortunately, his head injuries left his bodily functions unimpaired.
- The committee has a dual function, both advisory and regulatory.
- Within two weeks of quitting smoking, your lung function can improve as much as 30%
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- important
- useful
- valuable
- …
verb + function
- have
- carry out
- fulfil/fulfill
- …
See full entry
[countable] a social event or official ceremony
- The hall provided a venue for weddings and other functions.
- The couple attended a charity function in aid of cancer research.
Extra Examples
- There are numerous functions in aid of charity.
- He and his wife were guests of honour at a function held by the society last weekend.
- The reception will be held in the hotel's function room.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- charity
- official
- social
- …
verb + function
- hold
- attend
- go to
- …
function + noun
- room
See full entry
[countable] function (of something) (mathematics) a quantity whose value depends on the varying values of others. In the statement 2x=y, y is a function of x.
- (figurative) Salary is a function of age and experience.
Topics Maths and measurementc1
[countable] (computing) a part of a program, etc. that performs a basic operationTopics Computersc2

Word Originmid 16th cent.: from French fonction, from Latin functio(n-), from fungi ‘perform’.

function

verb

OPAL WOPAL S

/ˈfʌŋkʃn/

[intransitive] (rather formal)

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they function	/ˈfʌŋkʃn/ /ˈfʌŋkʃn/
he / she / it functions	/ˈfʌŋkʃnz/ /ˈfʌŋkʃnz/
past simple functioned	/ˈfʌŋkʃnd/ /ˈfʌŋkʃnd/
past participle functioned	/ˈfʌŋkʃnd/ /ˈfʌŋkʃnd/
-ing form functioning	/ˈfʌŋkʃənɪŋ/ /ˈfʌŋkʃənɪŋ/

Phrasal Verbs

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to work in the correct way synonym operate
- We now have a functioning shower.
- + adv./prep. Despite the power cuts, the hospital continued to function normally.
- Many children can't function effectively in large classes.
- (humorous) I can't function properly without a coffee.
Extra Examples
- All the instruments were functioning normally.
- Can we devise a system in which judges function independently of party politics?
- My brain could barely function through the pain.
- Problems arise when the body's immune system is not functioning adequately.
- The bombs continued to fall, but somehow the city still functioned.
- The group has now become a fully functioning political organization.
- The organization functions primarily through volunteer efforts.
- This model does not describe accurately the way a market economy actually functions.
- When nutrients are in short supply the body cannot function normally.
- a system in which judges function independently of politics
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- effectively
- efficiently
- smoothly
- …
verb + function
- be able to
- be unable to
- can
- …
phrases
- fully functioning
See full entry
Word Originmid 16th cent.: from French fonction, from Latin functio(n-), from fungi ‘perform’.