flack
verb
Michael Roizen and Mehmet OzCasey Seiler
Did you know?
The verb flack comes from a noun flack: during the late 1930s, flack came to be used as a name for a press agent. According to one rumor, the word was coined in tribute to a well-known movie publicist of the time, Gene Flack. Another rumor holds that it derives from a similar-sounding Yiddish word for someone who talks about someone else's affairs. The editors of Merriam-Webster dictionaries remain skeptical about these claims and have listed the etymology of flack as "unknown." You may also be familiar with another flack—a noun meaning "criticism" or "opposition." This unrelated homograph stems from a misspelling of flak, a German acronym and English word for antiaircraft guns.
Examples of flack in a Sentence
Vulture, 27 Oct. 2023
Consider the case of Karen Hinton, a former Cuomo aide and flack for New York City mayor Bill de Blasio.
—Kevin D. Williamson, National Review, 10 Aug. 2021
Her job is to flack for her boss, and part of my job is to listen to complaints.
—Paul A. Gigot, WSJ, 13 Dec. 2020
Sebastian Rios, the journalist target of the Rangers’ rescue mission, now flacks for Homeland Security and, occasionally, nudges the lever at the back of his brain that turns him invisible.
—oregonlive, 26 May 2020
See All Example Sentences for flack
Cite this Entry
“Flack.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flack. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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