Funk is a lively, rhythmic style of music that developed in the 1960s, built on strong bass lines, syncopated drum beats, and a groove that makes you want to move. Musicians like James Brown and George Clinton created funk by emphasizing the rhythm and the spaces between notes, making the beat itself the star of the song. When you hear funk music, you feel it in your body: your foot starts tapping, your shoulders want to bounce. The music has a funky quality that's hard to describe but impossible to miss.

The word also describes a bad mood or a slump. When someone's in a funk, they feel down, unmotivated, or stuck. A student might fall into a funk after struggling with several difficult assignments, or an athlete might be in a funk after losing a few games in a row. Unlike sadness about something specific, a funk is more like a gray cloud that settles over you.

Funky can also mean something has a strong, unpleasant smell. If gym socks smell funky, they desperately need washing. But when describing music, art, or style, funky is a compliment: it means cool, unconventional, and full of character.