[, ]a special activity or purpose of a person or thing 作用；功能；机能；职能◆to fulfil/perform a useful function 发挥／起有益作用◆Smartphones combine the functions of cellphones and handheld computers. 智能手机结合了手机和掌上电脑的功能。◆Your function is to run your department efficiently. 你的职责是有效地管理你的部门。
[] the part of a company that is responsible for a particular area （公司的）职能部门◆accounting, manufacturing, sales and marketing and other corporate functions 会计、生产、销售和营销以及公司其他职能部门◆We considered splitting up our key business functions so that they were not all in one place. 我们考虑拆分主要的营运部门，这样它们就不会集中在一个地方了。
() [] a part of a program, etc. that carries out a basic operation 子程序◆the function keys 功能键
[] a social event or official ceremony 社交聚会；宴会；庆典◆The staff are allowed two social functions a year. 员工一年能有两次社交聚会。
[] a function of sthif one thing is a function of another, its value depends on the varying values of the other thing 函数；应变量◆(figurative) Salary is a function of age and experience. 工资视乎年龄和经验而定。