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

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

The vehicle’s bold look, which came from the pen of former Apple design head Jony Ive, has come in for considerable flak (and has even been compared to that of a Nissan EV). — Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 17 Aug. 2026

Flanagan, however, has caught some flak for her proximity to Walz and the cascading social services fraud scandal that prompted the 2024 vice presidential candidate to abandon his reelection bid. — Garrett Downs, CNBC, 11 Aug. 2026

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has taken unfair flak from nativist elements of the MAGA base. — Editorial Board, Washington Post, 4 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"