flex

1 of 3

verb

ˈfleks 

flexed; flexing; flexes

transitive verb

1

: to bend especially repeatedly

2

a

: to move muscles so as to cause flexion of (a joint)

b

: to move or tense (a muscle) by contraction

3

: use, demonstrate

flexing her skills as a singer

intransitive verb

1

: bend

2

informal

a

: to talk in a boastful or aggressive way

"Bronze" is one of the most straightforward new tracks: a boastful and insidiously dark song that sees him flexing about his many wins.

—Raisa Bruner

—often used with on to indicate the person, group, etc. at whom the talk is directed

Hip-hop has never just been about selling drugs, flexing on haters, and threatening enemies, as many like to portray it.

—Aaron Williams

… he … went searching for criticism, then tried to flex on a random criticizer.

—Ashley Feinberg

"… And if President Trump is going to continue to flex on China, whether it's with tariffs, whether it's just talking tough and tweeting tough, that still draws a very stark contrast between himself and the Democratic Party. …"

—Mattie Duppler

b

: to make an ostentatious display of something : show off

While tons of influencers love to flex on Instagram via designer bags and other luxury splurges, others are all about that perfect high-low balance …

—Bella Gerard

—often used with on to indicate the person, group, etc. at whom the display is directed

It's in-your-face branding that is all about flexing on your friends in their more common, more conventional limousines.

—Max Finkel

flex

2 of 3

noun (1)

plural flexes

1

: an act or instance of flexing or bending

[Trae] Young finished with 22 points, seven assists and two steals—and a muscle flex after the game-winner.

—Chris Vivlamore

2

: flexibility, pliancy

The … fillet blade has a nice flex to it.

—Matt Foster

3

informal : an act of bragging or showing off

Monster (1994) was R.E.M.'s weird flex: an over-the-top rock album saturated with distortion, propelled by power chords and guitar feedback, and voiced by singer Michael Stipe's newly found enthusiasm.

—David Gill

flex

3 of 3

noun (2)

plural flexes

chiefly British

: an electric cord

Phrases

flex one's muscles

: to demonstrate one's strength

an exaggerated need to flex his political muscles

—J. P. Lash

Examples of flex in a Sentence

Verb

He flexed the muscles of his right arm.

a material that flexes easily

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The moon’s harmonious connection to Mercury is perfect for play and flexing your imaginative muscles. —USA TODAY, 10 May 2024

As her popularity has grown, Wilson has flexed different facets of her artistry — and scored radio hits — by both releasing solo songs and featuring on duets with male artists. —Melinda Newman, Billboard, 9 May 2024

Popular on Variety Happily, once inside the dangerously magical world in which our resourceful heroine finds herself, the creative team flex their considerable muscle — and budget. —David Benedict, Variety, 8 May 2024

To go from searching for love to writing about love seemed like the appropriate time for Brown to flex her creative writing muscle. —Lexy Perez, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 May 2024

McDaniel, who came to the Dolphins with a reputation as a run game specialist, had finally flexed his expertise. —Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 6 May 2024

What's a courtside seat if not an opportunity to flex your style? —Sam Reed, Glamour, 3 May 2024

Grammy-winner Midler has also had plenty of experience flexing her comedy muscles in her theatrical concerts and movies like Ruthless People, Outrageous Fortune, Big Business and Hocus Pocus. —Eric Andersson, Peoplemag, 3 May 2024

Britney is continuing to flex her freedom and is moving on. —Jessica Wang, EW.com, 2 May 2024

Noun

Second of all, try to get a book done without some discipline — Kim Krans, creator of the Wild Unknown oracle deck series These days, the cards of Animal Spirit can be spotted in still lifes and spiritual flexes all over social media. —Simone Wilson, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2024

The 26-year-old flexes the badge of honor and pressure that comes with ending generational curses as his family’s first millionaire. —Michael Saponara, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019

Is there a bigger flex on an Awards season red carpet than wearing a look straight off the runway? —José Criales-Unzueta, Vogue, 11 Mar. 2024

Below are the best watch flexes from this year’s SAG Awards. —Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 26 Feb. 2024

Material that flexes to ease the removal of the pot is ideal. —Kenneth Setzer, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024

In the Cascade Mountains, on the West Coast of the United States, a cougar flexes its tail. —Natasha Frost, New York Times, 10 Dec. 2023

Rocking an orange bucket hat, red jersey and jeans, Ocean flexes, bops his head and sways side-to-side in the new clip, clearly vibing out to the chill song, whose dreamy lyrics are hard to make out. —Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 8 Dec. 2023

This would be a considerable flex of Samsung’s AI capabilities and an easy-to-understand use case that consumers can relate to. —Ewan Spence, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Verb

borrowed from Latin flexus, past participle of flectere "to cause to go in a different direction, bend, curve," of uncertain origin

Noun (1)

derivative of flex entry 1

Noun (2)

short for flexible cord

First Known Use

Verb

circa 1521, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (1)

circa 1934, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1905, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing flex

• flex-cuff
• flex-fuel
• flex one's muscles

Kids Definition

flex

verb

ˈfleks

1

: to bend especially over and over

2

a

: to move muscles so as to cause flexion of

b

: to move or tense (a muscle) by contraction

Medical Definition

flex

transitive verb

ˈfleks 

1

: to bend especially repeatedly

2

a

: to move muscles so as to cause flexion of (a joint)

stretching and flexing his knees

b

: to move or tense (a muscle or muscles) by contraction

flexed their biceps