flank

1 of 2

noun

1
a
: 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
2
a
: 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

2 of 2

verb

flanked; flanking; flanks

transitive verb

1
a
: 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)

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
Unsurprisingly, one flank of Reddit’s user and moderator base loved this. Paresh Dave, WIRED, 14 Mar. 2024 Russian troops had moved up on their flanks and were pounding them from all sides with tank, artillery and mortar fire, smashing their defenses and wounding men. Oleksandr Chubko Lynsey Addario, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024 Some bullfighters run in front of the bulls to stick these in the beast’s flanks, leaving bloody but shallow flesh wounds. Toby Muse, Rolling Stone, 3 Mar. 2024 The Brazilian tends to drift more to the right than the left, unlike Vinícius and Mbappé, which will give a rotation option with Rodrygo down that flank. Sam Leveridge, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 Eastern flank nations, the most vulnerable to Russia’s reach, are making especially dramatic investments. Emily Rauhala, Washington Post, 24 Feb. 2024 Is that country on his left flank in good standing or not? Dp Opinion, The Denver Post, 14 Feb. 2024 His linemates also continued to flourish on his flanks, with Adam Henrique extending his points streak to seven games (11 points) by way of his pair of assists. Andrew Knoll, Orange County Register, 12 Feb. 2024 Sorloth launched Guedes on the flank to beat goalkeeper Iñaki Peña from an angle to make it 3-3. Joseph Wilson, USA TODAY, 27 Jan. 2024
Verb
The piece indeed depicts the winged statue in platinum and diamonds, flanked by temple motifs accented with sapphires. Laurie Brookins, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Mar. 2024 The photo depicted Catherine flanked by Charlotte, her daughter, and younger son, Louis. Mark Landler, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2024 Noah Kahan also tops the lineup for the two-day event, taking place in Asbury Park, New Jersey — at North Beach and Bradley Park, flanked by the Atlantic Ocean — on Sept. 14 and 15. Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 5 Mar. 2024 Crowd control barriers were erected along the route to the cemetery ahead of the service, flanked by dozens of police vans. Matthew Chance, CNN, 1 Mar. 2024 On Wednesday, Crump, flanked by members of Malcolm X’s family, said requests to New York and federal agencies for surveillance and other records related to the case have repeatedly been stonewalled. Marc Ramirez, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2024 The late 2000s time capsule opens with Jay-Z rapping in front of a curtain of falling sparks, flanked by a troupe of models wearing dark hoodies and sunglasses. Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 22 Feb. 2024 Or, for a more budget-friendly option, install floating shelves above your commode and flank it with vertical storage cubes. Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Mar. 2024 The audience flanks a stage brightly lit with white L.E.D.s, arousing the senses like a pharmaceutical stimulant. Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'flank.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English, from Old French flanc, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German hlanca loin, flank — more at lank

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1594, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of flank was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near flank

Cite this Entry

“Flank.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flank. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

flank

1 of 2 noun
1
a
: the fleshy part of the side between the ribs and the hip
b
: a cut of meat from this part of an animal
2
b
: the right or left of a military formation

flank

2 of 2 verb
1
: to be located at the side of : border
2
: to protect a flank of
3
: to attack or threaten the flank of (as a body of troops)

Medical Definition

flank

noun
: the fleshy part of the side between the ribs and the hip
broadly : the side of a quadruped

More from Merriam-Webster on flank

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