clunker

/ˈklʌŋkər/

Other forms: clunkers

If you drive a clunker, you've got a very old, decrepit car. Ask anyone and they'll advise you not to take that clunker on a road trip from California to Maine!

A clunker hasn't just racked up a lot of miles — it's also visibly dilapidated and may just barely work at all. Leave your car out in the rain for years without tune-ups and oil changes, and it'll eventually become a clunker. You can also use this word for unsuccessful efforts: "I'm not sure about being a comedian after that clunker of a joke I told at dinner." Clunker comes from the clunk sound of a broken machine.

Definitions of clunker

1. noun

   a car that is old and unreliable
   synonyms: bus, heap, jalopy

   type of:

   auto, automobile, car, machine, motorcar

   a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine

   dysphemism

   an offensive or disparaging expression that is substituted for an inoffensive one
2. noun

   a complete failure
   synonyms: bust, fizzle, flop

   types:

   bomb, dud, turkey

   an event that fails badly or is totally ineffectual

   type of:

   failure

   an event that does not accomplish its intended purpose
3. noun

   someone who is unsuccessful
   synonyms: dud, flop, washout

   type of:

   failure, loser, nonstarter, unsuccessful person

   a person with a record of failing; someone who loses consistently