are designed to function as

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "are designed to function as" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when describing the intended purpose or role of an object, system, or concept. Example: "These tools are designed to function as essential components in the manufacturing process."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

7 human-written examples

And many other details of Japanese life, too — like taxi doors that seem to open on their own, motion-triggered bathroom-soap dispensers and seats that automatically turn around at the end of a shuttle train's run — are designed to function as smoothly as possible, with no awkward moments or wasted motions.

The New York Times

The CT are designed to function as input for the estimation of material model parameters such as the parameters of constitutive equations.

Materials Science and Engineering: A

They are designed to function as a filter and a sediment trap although it is often unclear what the long-term disposition of the accumulated P may be.

Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment

The collecting bins of the material underneath the copper plate electrodes are designed to function as Faraday cups such that the charge polarity and magnitude of particles in each bin can be measured directly.

Fuel

Moreover, the videos are designed to function as homework assignments and for usual, only one video is part of the preparation for a lesson.

Smart Learning Environments

Oxidation ponds are designed to function as either completely stirred or plug flow reactors, but mass transport mechanisms have a greater impact than the type of reactor model chosen.

Applied Water Science

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

53 human-written examples

For 150 years, Braille books were designed to function as much as possible like print books.

The New York Times - Magazine

The truncation error of the discretization is designed to function as a physically consistent subgrid-scale model for turbulence.

Journal of Computational Physics

The compounds were designed to function as fluorescent reporter ligands for protein-binding and lipid transfer assays.

Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry

CVL tokens were designed to function as consumer items.

The New York Times - Style

In addition to housing an information center and museum, the building was designed to function as a stage.

The New York Times - Travel

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "are designed to function as", ensure the subject is clearly defined, and the intended function is explicitly stated. This avoids ambiguity and ensures clarity in your writing.

Common error

Avoid using "are designed to function as" within overly complex sentence structures. Keep the sentence concise to ensure the intended function remains clear to the reader.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "are designed to function as" serves as a declarative statement, specifying the intended role or operational purpose of a subject. Ludwig AI confirms its grammatical correctness.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

Science

46%

News & Media

38%

Academia

16%

Less common in

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "are designed to function as" is a grammatically sound and frequently employed expression used to clarify the intended purpose or role of a subject. As confirmed by Ludwig AI, its versatility allows its use across diverse contexts, from science and academia to news and media. When using the phrase, ensure that both the subject and its intended function are clearly defined to prevent ambiguity. While alternatives exist, "are designed to function as" remains a reliable choice for stating the intended functionality with precision.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

are intended to serve as

Focuses on the intention behind the design, emphasizing purpose.

are meant to act as

Emphasizes the intended action or role.

are engineered to operate as

Highlights the technical aspect of the design and its operational purpose.

are created to work as

Focuses on the creation process and the intended functionality.

are built to perform as

Emphasizes the construction and resulting performance.

are purposed to be used as

Highlights the intended use or application.

are constructed to serve as

Focuses on the act of construction and the intended service or function.

are developed to act as

Emphasizes the development process and the intended action.

are made to operate as

Highlights the manufacturing and operational aspects.

serve the purpose of

Shifts the focus to the purpose being served, rather than the design.

FAQs

What can I say instead of "are designed to function as"?

You can use alternatives like "are intended to serve as", "are meant to act as", or "are engineered to operate as" depending on the context.

How do I use "are designed to function as" in a sentence?

Use "are designed to function as" to clearly state the intended purpose or role of an object, system, or concept. For example, "These tools are designed to function as essential components in the manufacturing process."

What is the difference between "are designed to function as" and "serve the purpose of"?

"Are designed to function as" focuses on the design intent, while "serve the purpose of" focuses on the actual purpose being fulfilled.

Is "are designed to function as" formal or informal?

"Are designed to function as" is suitable for both formal and neutral contexts. Its formality depends more on the surrounding vocabulary and the overall tone of the writing.