funk

funk — noun

1. A style of dance music that came out of African American communities in the 1960

1.nounB1
Definition

A style of dance music that came out of African American communities in the 1960s, built on a strong repeated beat, deep bass lines, and influences from soul, jazz, and rhythm and blues.

Example

Christopher put on a funk record, and the whole room started dancing.

funk + noun modifier: funk record

Vinícius's album blends classic funk basslines with hip-hop and electronic sounds from Brazil.

blends funk with [other genres]

Common collocations
  • funk music
  • funk band
  • funk guitar
  • funk bass
  • play funk
  • funk groove
  • funk rhythm
Synonyms
  • soul

    a related genre that focuses more on singing and emotion; funk emphasizes rhythm and bass

  • R&B

    a broader category; funk is a specific style within it

Grammar Patterns

funk + noun (modifier)

Usage Note

Often used as a modifier before nouns: funk music, funk band, funk guitar. The adjective 'funky' is much more common in everyday conversation.

2. A temporary period of sadness, low energy, or lack of confidence, often without

2.nounB2
Definition

A temporary period of sadness, low energy, or lack of confidence, often without a clear cause.

Example

After quitting her job, Renata was in a funk for nearly a month.

in a funk (temporary low period)

Yuki tried going for a run every morning to lift herself out of her funk.

lift / pull out of a funk

Common collocations
  • in a funk
  • in a bit of a funk
  • deep funk
  • blue funk
  • pull out of a funk
  • shake a funk
  • lift a funk
  • snap out of a funk
Synonyms
  • the blues

    slightly more informal and often music-related in tone

  • slump

    can also refer to performance; 'funk' is more about mood

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

in a funk

in a bit of a funk

in a blue funk

Usage Note

Almost always appears in the fixed phrase 'in a funk'. The intensity is usually mild — closer to 'the blues' than to clinical depression. 'Blue funk' is a slightly stronger variant.

Common Mistakes

I have funk today.
I am in a funk today.
always use 'in a' before 'funk' in this sense.

3. A state of nervous fear or worry about an upcoming event, as opposed to the gene

3.nounC1
Definition

A state of nervous fear or worry about an upcoming event, as opposed to the general sadness of sense 2.

Example

Hui was in a blue funk before her final exam and could barely sleep.

blue funk (strong fear/anxiety)

The actor was in a blue funk before shows, trembling too hard to hold the script.

Common collocations
  • in a funk
  • blue funk
  • funk of fear
  • funk of nervousness
Synonyms
  • panic

    more sudden and intense

  • dread

    focuses on a specific future event

Antonyms
  • calm

    state of peace and control

Grammar Patterns

in a funk

in a blue funk

Usage Note

Closely related to sense 2 (DEPRESSION), but this sense emphasizes fear and worry rather than sadness. 'Blue funk' is particularly associated with this meaning.

4. A strong, unpleasant odor, especially one that is stale, sweaty, or musty and ha

4.nounC1
Definition

A strong, unpleasant odor, especially one that is stale, sweaty, or musty and has built up over time.

Example

A strange funk filled the kitchen after the garbage sat unemptied all weekend.

a funk filled [place]

The old gym locker room had a permanent funk that no cleaner could remove.

Common collocations
  • funk of sweat
  • funk of smoke
  • permanent funk
  • old funk
Synonyms
  • stench

    stronger and more offensive

  • mustiness

    specifically a stale, damp smell; less intense than 'funk'

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

a funk of + noun

Usage Note

This sense is now rare in isolation, but it lives on in the adjective 'funky', which originally meant 'strong-smelling' or 'earthy' before acquiring its positive musical meaning.

Idioms

Casimir Funk

idiom

Casimir Funk (1884–1967), a Polish-born American biochemist who first proposed the existence of vitamins and coined the term 'vitamine' (later shortened to 'vitamin') in 1912.

Casimir Funk was the first scientist to isolate vitamin B1 from rice bran.

Isaac Kauffman Funk

idiom

Isaac Kauffman Funk (1839–1912), an American editor and publisher who co-founded the Funk & Wagnalls publishing company, known for reference works and dictionaries.

Isaac Kauffman Funk co-founded Funk and Wagnalls, which published the standard dictionary of its time.

funk — verb

Word family

  • funky
    adjectiveB1
  • funky
    adjectiveB2
  • funkiness
    nounC1
  • funkily
    adverbC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four terms describe genres of African American popular music that overlap in history but differ in musical emphasis. Funk centres on a syncopated bass line and a strong downbeat — think James Brown's bands or Parliament-Funkadelic. Soul prioritises vocal expression and emotional delivery, as heard in Aretha Franklin or Otis Redding. Disco, which grew partly out of funk in the 1970s, uses a steady four-on-the-floor beat and is designed for continuous dancing in club settings. R&B (rhythm and blues) is the broadest category, originally covering post-war Black popular music; modern R&B often incorporates elements of funk, soul, and hip-hop. A good rule of thumb: if the bass line makes your body move before the singer opens their mouth, it is probably funk. If the singer's emotion hits first, it is probably soul.

funk ↗soul ↗disco ↗R&B

Common collocations

Nouns

  • funk music
  • funk band
  • funk bass
  • funk guitar
  • funk groove
  • funk rhythm
  • funk record

Phrases

  • in a (blue) funk
  • snap out of a funk
  • lift sb out of a funk
  • shake off a funk
  • blues and funk
  • funk and soul

Prepositions

  • in a funk
  • out of a funk

Etymology

FrenchEnglish dialectEnglish

The word 'funk' has two separate origins that later converged. The 'fear/depression' senses (verb and noun) come from an older Scottish or northern English dialect word 'funk' meaning 'to strike or kick', which evolved into 'to flinch or shrink back'. The 'strong smell' sense probably comes from French 'fumet' (the scent of game or cooked meat), which entered English dialects. In early 20th-century African American jazz culture, 'funky' (from the smell sense) described music that was earthy, deeply felt, and grounded — a compliment that eventually gave rise to the noun 'funk' for the musical genre itself.