Definition of distinguishing flag
1 : any of certain flags flown to indicate the presence of an officer of high rank or of the holder of a high governmental office
—used in the British navy and the U.S. Army — compare personal flag
2 : a flag flown to identify the headquarters of a major unit of the U.S. Army that does not have an organizational color or standard
3 : a flag indicative of the ownership of a vessel (as the house flag of a commercial ship or the private signal of a yacht)
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