funnel
English · Thesaurus
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funnel¹
- /ˈfʌnəl/ UK, US
- /ˈfʊnəl/ Northern England
Rhymes with -ʌnəl
Where it comes from
From Middle English funell, fonel, probably through Old French *founel (compare Middle French fonel, Old Occitan fonilh, enfounilh), from Latin fundibulum, infundibulum (“funnel”), from infundere (“to pour in”);
in (“in”) + fundere (“to pour”); compare Breton founilh (“funnel”), Welsh ffynel (“air hole, chimney”). See fuse.
noun funnels
- A utensil in the shape of an inverted hollow cone terminating in a narrow pipe, for channeling liquids or granular material; typically used when transferring said substances from any container into ones with a significantly smaller opening.
- A passage or avenue for a fluid or flowing substance; specifically, a smoke flue or pipe; the chimney of a steamship or the like.
- Ellipsis of purchase funnel (“the process of customer acquisition conceptualized as a series of stages, from initial awareness (top) to sale or conversion (bottom)”). top of (the) funnel marketing
- Ellipsis of funnel cloud
verb funnels · funneling · funnelling · funneled · funnelled
- To use a funnel.
- To proceed through a narrow gap or passageway akin to a funnel; to condense or narrow. Expect delays where the traffic funnels down to one lane.
- To channel, direct, or focus (emotions, money, resources, etc.). Our taxes are being funnelled into pointless government initiatives.
- To consume (beer, etc.) rapidly through a funnel, typically as a stunt at a party. The first time he did it was to this freshman Kevin Ryers and we all just burst out laughing, watching Kevin try to funnel a beer.
funnel²
- /ˈfʌnəl/ UK, US
- /ˈfʊnəl/ Northern England
Rhymes with -ʌnəl
noun funnels
- Alternative form of fummel (“hybrid animal”).
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: funnel shape, oil, flue, fireplace, chimney, pipeline, mantelpiece, channel, stack, hopper, pyramid, column, niche, harness, mantle, micropyle
Translations
Every language
noun utensil used to guide poured liquids
| Español | embudo, infundíbulo, fonil |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 깔때기 kkalttaegi, 누두 nudu |
| 日本語 | 漏斗, ファンネル fanneru |
| 中文 | 漏斗 lòudǒu |
| हिन्दी | कीप kīp |
| Português | funil |
| Français | entonnoir |
| Deutsch | Trichter |
| Italiano | imbuto, funnel |
| Ελληνικά | χωνί choní, χοάνη choáni |
| Română | pâlnie |
| Русский | воро́нка vorónka |
| Tiếng Việt | phễu, quặn |
| العربية | قِمْع qimʕ |
verb to use a funnel
| Español | embudar |
|---|---|
| Français | utiliser un entonnoir |
| Deutsch | trichtern, eintrichtern |
verb to proceed through a narrow gap or passageway akin to a funnel
| Français | canaliser |
|---|
Talk about this word "funnel." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/funnel. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. funnel. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/funnel "funnel." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/funnel.Cite this
@misc{funnel_2026,
title = {funnel},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/funnel},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
