/ ˈfʌnl; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
1.
a device that is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, used for pouring liquids or powders into a small opening
2.
( BrE ) (also smoke·stack NAmE , BrE ) a metal chimney , for example on a ship or an engine, through which smoke comes out
■ verb
( -ll- , NAmE -l- ) to move or make sth move through a narrow space, or as if through a funnel :
[ v ]
Wind was funnelling through the gorge.
[ vn ]
Huge pipes funnel the water down the mountainside.
Barricades funnelled the crowds towards the square.
( figurative )
Some $10 million in aid was funnelled into the country through government agencies.
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English : apparently via Old French from Provençal fonilh , from late Latin fundibulum , from Latin infundibulum , from infundere , from in- into + fundere pour.