flank

noun

\ ˈflaŋk

Definition of flank

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : the fleshy part of the side between the ribs and the hip broadly : the side of a quadruped She gently patted the horse's flank.

b : a cut of meat from this part of an animal — see beef illustration

2a : side the eastern flank of a volcano

b : the right or left of a formation attacked the enemy on both flanks

3 : the area along either side of a heraldic shield

flank

verb

flanked; flanking; flanks

Definition of flank (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : to be situated at the side of especially : to be situated on both sides of a road flanked with linden trees

b : to place something on each side of

2 : to protect a flank of

3 : to attack or threaten the flank of (as a body of troops)

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about flank

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Examples of flank in a Sentence

Noun

She gently patted the horse's flank. They attacked the enemy on both flanks. the eastern flank of a volcano

Verb

the guards flank the center on a football team's offensive line

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Nouhou raced along the left flank in one of his patented, break-neck rushes that typically lifts fans out of their seasts. — Geoff Baker, The Seattle Times, "Sounders get needed early goal en route to blowout of Houston," 8 Oct. 2018 Arpaio’s entry meant Ward had to cover her own right flank rather than focusing on McSally. — Chris Stirewalt, Fox News, "Fox News Power Rankings: Candidates still count," 24 Aug. 2018 Carlos Vela, who joined Los Angeles FC from Real Sociedad last year, currently has the edge to start on the other flank rather than Jesus Corona of Porto. — Carlos Rodriguez, chicagotribune.com, "World Cup Countdown: Mexico's quest for elusive quarterfinals continues in Russia," 3 June 2018 But the Roma equalizer came from the other flank, just as its opening goal had in the first leg. — Jonathan Wilson, SI.com, "Liverpool Stumbles at Roma But Finishes Job to Reach Champions League Final," 2 May 2018 The Klamathon Fire at the California-Oregon border was further contained overnight and growth was halted, despite tricky, inaccessible terrain on the northern flank, Cal Fire said Wednesday. — Julia Sclafani, sacbee, "Northern California wildfire updates: Pacific Crest Trail closures in effect despite progress on Klamathon Fire," 11 July 2018 The new addition to its Linksys Wi-Fi mesh lineup looks exactly like a conventional router—specifically, a router from its Linksys EA series of routers—with four blade-style antennas emerging from its flanks. — Michael Brown, PCWorld, "Belkin takes the wraps off its Linksys Max Stream AC2200 Wi-Fi router," 7 Jan. 2019 In February, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC)—the pinnacle of the establishment—shot back at its mutinous flank. — Rebecca Nelson, Marie Claire, "Party Crashers: These Female Candidates Are Shaking Up The Midterms," 2 Nov. 2018 Nestled on the flanks of the extremely active volcano, the village was square in the path of a gulch that channeled the downhill flow of fast-moving hot rock, ash and debris when the mountain erupted Sunday, burying homes up to their rooftops. — Mark Stevenson, Fox News, "Guatemala town destroyed by volcano thought it was safe," 8 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The bar is flanked by two lounge and media areas, with a theater that accommodates up to 52 guests. — Lucia Tonelli, ELLE Decor, "Damien Hirst Designs the World’s Most Expensive Hotel Suite in Las Vegas," 4 Mar. 2019 Because the 65-mile Priest River is flanked by a good highway, Bill Whetsler’s Diamond Match crew drives out from the town of Priest River each morning in trucks, drives back again at night. — Popular Mechanics Editors, Popular Mechanics, "The Lost Art of Floating Logs Down the River," 16 Feb. 2019 The Material Girl appeared on the steps of the Met Museum’s Great Hall, incognito in a monk’s cloak and flanked by a choir of singing monks before taking off her hood and performing the song. — Cady Lang, Time, "Let Madonna Take You to Church With Her Crazy Surprise Met Gala Performance," 8 May 2018 The symmetrical 3,200-square-foot house features a hip roof with a decorative roof balustrade and is flanked by two lower gabled structures. — Lauren Ro, Curbed, "Designer’s dazzling ‘clock house’ wants $3.6M outside NYC," 20 Mar. 2018 With security personnel flanking some theaters in order to quell any unrest, the Hindi-language epic Padmaavat took in $16 million at the box office during its opening weekend. — Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, "Why This Film Based on a 16th-Century Poem Has Sparked Violent Protests in India," 29 Jan. 2018 The Spartans did experiment with two-back sets at times this season, with both Scott and London flanking QB Brian Lewerke in the shotgun, so that could be a way to get each involved. — Chris Solari, Detroit Free Press, "Return of LJ Scott a boon for Michigan State football's 2018 run game," 10 Jan. 2018 Acer Other features of note include a pair of upward-facing speakers that flank the keyboard, and the use of a pair of USB-C ports for charging and display. — Mark Hachman, PCWorld, "Acer's Chromebook 315 pairs an AMD processor with a 15.6-inch display for as low as $279.99," 6 Jan. 2019 In the early morning, the hills that flanked the dry riverbed were swaddled in mists that had drifted inland from the Skeleton Coast. — Stanley Stewart, Condé Nast Traveler, "Going Off-Grid in Namibia," 21 Dec. 2018

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