flak

noun

\ ˈflak

variants: or less commonly flack

plural flak also flack

Definition of flak

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

Critics praised the show’s design, but the DC production caught flak for bawdy humor that wasn’t family-friendly. — Elysa Gardner, Town & Country, "How Beetlejuice Got to Broadway," 12 Mar. 2019 Billy Corgan, leader of the Smashing Pumpkins, has been catching flak among gearheads on the internet recently for purporting that paint color affects the sound of guitars. — Henry Robertson, Popular Mechanics, "Can Guitar Paint Affect Your Tone?," 31 Dec. 2018 Benitez’s firefighting bomb proposal is a bold one and bound to take some flak. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "Should the U.S. Air Force Bomb Forest Fires?," 8 Aug. 2018 It should be pointed out that while Rita Ora caught a lot of flak for lip-syncing during the parade, not singing live is in fact the norm. — Krystin Arneson, Glamour, "Kelly Clarkson Nailed Her Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Performance," 22 Nov. 2018 The three enlisted men were in the back of the bomber when it was hit by flak. — David Owens, courant.com, "74 Years Later, Connecticut Airman Shot Down Over France In WW II To Get Proper Burial," 7 July 2018 Party leader Rahul Gandhi is viewed by many as not up to the challenge and has received flak for not bringing together a core team to oversee the party’s overall functioning and strategy. — Kamakshi Ayyar, Time, "Here's What a Recent State-Level Vote Reveals About India's 2019 General Elections," 24 May 2018 In 2016, Ganim caught flak from Hillary Clinton’s campaign for greeting Trump backstage at Bridgeport’s Klein Auditorium before Trump’s campaign rally there. — Neil Vigdor, courant.com, "Joe Ganim Visits Detention Center Near Mexico Border, Calls Roundup Of Children "Un-American"," 21 June 2018 Didier Deschamps has copped so much flak for his team selections, yet his major tournament record reads.. — SI.com, "Why Didier Deschamps Is Still a Problem Regardless of Leading France to the World Cup Final," 12 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'flak.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.