flak

noun

ˈflak 

variants or less commonly flack

plural flak also flack

1

: antiaircraft guns

2

: the bursting shells fired from flak

3

: criticism, opposition

She has taken a good deal of flak for espousing that view.

—E. J. Kahn, Jr.

When I was a restaurant bar manager I sometimes found myself taking flak from my customers for our high prices …

—Rob Hill

Examples of flak in a Sentence

He caught heavy flak for his decision to oppose the new school.

He took a lot of flak from the other kids for his unusual appearance.

Recent Examples on the Web

His signature fusion of gore and glamor has caught him some flak over the years, most prominently around the romanticization of harrowing true crime events. — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2026

The second lady of the United States recently caught some flak on the internet for wearing an $8 maternity dress from Old Navy in a recent appearance with her husband. — Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2026

Some touring acts, like Taylor Swift, catch flak for their private jet emissions and try to compensate through carbon offsetting. — Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2026

The legislation has reportedly received flak for essentially sparing European and French companies such as Zara and Kiabi. — Roy Stephen Canivel, Footwear News, 21 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

German, from Fliegerabwehrkanonen, from Flieger flyer + Abwehr defense + Kanonen cannons

First Known Use

1938, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing flak

• flak jacket

Rhymes for flak

• ack
• brack
• clack
• crack
• dak
• flack
• hack
• jack
• knack
• lac
• lack
• lak

Kids Definition

flak

noun

variants also flack

ˈflak

plural flak also flack

1

: antiaircraft guns or the bursting shells fired from them

2

: severe criticism

Etymology

derived from the German word for "antiaircraft guns," from the first letters of Flieger "flier" and Abwehr "defense" and Kanonen "cannons"