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📕 rednote ID(小红书号)：3881567312

Function: Definition, Usage & Common Examples (3 meaning)

Meaning 1：purpose (function)

function 🔊

/ˈfʌŋkʃn/

vi./n.

The specific purpose or job that something is designed or used to do.

purpose 🔊

➕

/ˈpɜːrpəs/

vi./n.

The specific role, job, or intended use of an object, system, or part.

📁 Category：Objects & Materials 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Latin 'functio' meaning 'performance, execution', related to 'fungi' (to perform).

💡 Mnemonic

Think: A car has many FUNCtIONS, each one a specific job or task it can perform.

📖 Example

The function of a refrigerator is to keep food cold and fresh. 🔊 A refrigerator's main purpose is to preserve food at a low temperature.

🔗 Collocations

main function – primary purpose or role

serve a function – to fulfill a useful purpose

lose its function – to become useless for its intended purpose

🔄 Synonyms

purpose (n.) – The reason for which something is done or created.

role (n.) – The part something plays in a particular situation.

utility (n.) – The state of being useful, profitable, or beneficial.

🚫 Antonyms

dysfunction (n.) – Abnormality or impairment in the function of a specified bodily organ or system.

🌱 Derivatives

functional (adj.) – Designed to be practical and useful, rather than attractive; working or operating.

📖 Cultural Story

The word 'function' entered English via Old French from Latin. Its precise mathematical sense developed in the 17th-18th centuries. It became central in computer science to describe self-contained code blocks.

Meaning 2：operate (function)

function 🔊

/ˈfʌŋkʃn/

vi./n.

To work or operate in the way that is normal or expected.

operate 🔊

➕

/ˈɑːpəreɪt/

vi./n.

To work or perform as intended; to be in action or working order.

📁 Category：Technological Inventions 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

After the repair, my old laptop began to function perfectly again. 🔊 Once fixed, my old computer started working normally once more.

🔗 Collocations

function properly – to work correctly or as intended

cease to function – to stop working completely

function as – to serve or act as something

🔄 Synonyms

operate (v.) – To function or cause to function; to control the functioning of a machine.

work (v.) – To operate or function, especially effectively.

run (v.) – To operate or function, especially of machines or systems.

🚫 Antonyms

malfunction (v.) – To fail to function normally or satisfactorily.

break down (v.) – To cease to function; to become inoperative.

🌱 Derivatives

dysfunction (n.) – Abnormality or impairment in the function of a specified bodily organ or system.

Meaning 3：mathematical relationship (function)

function 🔊

/ˈfʌŋkʃn/

vi./n.

In mathematics, a relationship where each input has exactly one output.

Mathematical function graph showing input-output relationship with a parabola.

mathematical relationship 🔊

➕

/ˌmæθəˈmætɪkl rɪˈleɪʃənʃɪp/

vi./n.

A relation from a set of inputs to a set of possible outputs where each input is related to exactly one output.

📁 Category：School Education 🔖 Level：Advanced

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

In the math problem, we had to graph the function y = x² to see its shape. 🔊 The assignment required plotting the mathematical rule y equals x squared on a coordinate plane.

🔗 Collocations

linear function – a function whose graph is a straight line

define a function – to specify the rule of a mathematical relationship

graph of a function – a visual representation of a function on a coordinate plane

🔄 Synonyms

mapping (n.) – A correspondence in which each element of one set is associated with an element of another set.

operation (n.) – A mathematical process such as addition, or the action of a function on an argument.

🚫 Antonyms

relation (n.) – A broader term for a set of ordered pairs, where an input may have multiple outputs.

🌱 Derivatives

functionality (n.) – The range of operations that can be performed; the quality of being functional.