| funnel (ˈfʌnəl) |
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| —n |
| 1. | a hollow utensil with a wide mouth tapering to a small hole, used for pouring liquids, powders, etc, into a narrow-necked vessel |
| 2. | something resembling this in shape or function |
| 3. | a smokestack for smoke and exhaust gases, as on a steamship or steam locomotive |
| 4. | a shaft or tube, as in a building, for ventilation |
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| —vb , -nels, nelling, -nelled, -nels, -neling, -neled |
| 5. | to move or cause to move or pour through or as if through a funnel |
| 6. | to concentrate or focus or be concentrated or focused in a particular direction: they funnelled their attention on the problem |
| 7. | (intr) to take on a funnel-like shape |
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| [C15: from Old Provençal fonilh, ultimately from Latin infundibulum funnel, hopper (in a mill), from infundere to pour in] |
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| 'funnel-like |
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| —adj |