flak

noun \ ˈflak \

variants: or less commonly flack

Updated on: 16 Apr 2018

Definition of flak

plural flak also flack

1 : antiaircraft guns

2 : the bursting shells fired from flak

3 or less commonly flack : criticism, opposition

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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 of flak from the Web

Buy Photo Philadelphia’s proposal to improve bike safety on Spruce and Pine Streets in Center City got a public hearing this week, and took flak from people who argued it did too much or not enough.

— jason laughlin, Philly.com, "Bike lane change to improve safety in Philly, but many want more … or less," 5 Apr. 2018
Ms Saunders has taken flak for bungles over evidence-disclosure and for charging paedophiles and dodgy journalists who turned out to be neither.

— The Economist, "Sacking the head of the parole board creates a worrying precedent," 5 Apr. 2018
First State Super eventually backed down and thanked Webster, but not before catching considerable flak for its handling of the affair.

— robert hackett, Fortune, "Bug Bounty Startup Bugcrowd Raises $26 Million," 1 Mar. 2018
Her appointment by Trump to deputy director in February of this year also drew flak from the American Civil Liberties Union and others.

— martin finucane, BostonGlobe.com, "6 things to know about Gina Haspel," 13 Mar. 2018
The keeper has received a lot of flak over the last couple of seasons, with Liverpool under increasing pressure to sort out their problems between the sticks.

— SI.com, "Simon Mignolet's Agent Change Prompts Reports of 'Big Move' Ahead of Summer Transfer Window," 7 Mar. 2018
LaHood also drew flak for failing to report a business interest in an LLC owned by Gary Cain, who last month was convicted of defrauding investors in a sand fracking company.

— jasper scherer, San Antonio Express-News, "LaHood out as Bexar County district attorney," 6 Mar. 2018
Trudeau, accustomed to being praised for his Prince Charming good looks, is getting a lot of flak on his tour of India, and the latest gags focus on his razzle-dazzle wardrobe, upstaging even India's flamboyant movie stars.

— vidhi doshi, Washington Post, "India to Justin Trudeau: Stop trying so hard," 23 Feb. 2018
Kimmel probably wants to remember, and joke about, his time on the not-so-progressive The Man Show and also keep in mind that Damon's comments about #MeToo earned him a lot of flak, so maybe that feud should be soft-pedaled.

— ray rahman, The Hollywood Reporter, "What Matters in Hollywood Today," 2 Mar. 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.

Origin and Etymology of flak

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1938

See Words from the same year

Other Military Terms

bivouac, logistics, petard, salient, sally, supernumerary, tactical

FLAK Defined for English Language Learners

flak

noun

Definition of flak for English Language Learners

: exploding shells that are shot at enemy aircraft from guns on the ground
: harsh criticism

Learn More about flak

See words that rhyme with flak Spanish Central: Translation of flak Nglish: Translation of flak for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of flak for Arabic speakers

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Definition of flak

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