noun
function
FUHNG-shuhn
noun
1
The purpose something serves or the job it does.
"The function of a thermostat is to regulate temperature."
"What's the function of this button?"
2
A formal or official event.
"They met at a company function last spring."
3
In maths and programming, a rule or routine that turns an input into an output.
"The function takes two numbers and returns their sum."
verb
1
To work or operate as intended.
"The old printer still functions, surprisingly."
How to Use Function
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishWhat something is for or does — a purpose, a formal event, or (technically) a mathematical/programming rule.
Common pairings
serve a function
function properly
a mathematical function
a wedding function
Word Forms
functioned past tense, functions plural, functions singular
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The _____ of a thermostat is to regulate temperature.
Etymology
From Latin functio, "performance, execution," from fungor, "to perform or discharge."