I. fun ‧ nel 1 /ˈfʌnl/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Language: Old Provençal ; Origin: fonilh , from Latin infundibulum , from fundere 'to pour' ]
1 . a thin tube with a wide top that you use for pouring liquid into a container with a narrow opening, such as a bottle
2 . British English a metal ↑ chimney that allows smoke from a steam engine or steamship to get out
II. funnel 2 BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle funnelled , present participle funnelling British English , funneled , funneling American English )
1 . [intransitive, transitive always + adverb/preposition] if you funnel something somewhere, or if it funnels there, it goes there by passing through a narrow opening:
Police at the barriers funnelled the crowd into the arena.
Incoming tides funnel up the channel with enormous power.
2 . [transitive always + adverb/preposition] to send money, information etc from various places to someone SYN channel :
His office funneled millions of dollars in secret contributions to the re-election campaign.