flint

noun

1
: a massive hard dark quartz that produces a spark when struck by steel
2
: an implement of flint used in prehistoric cultures
3
a
: a piece of flint
b
: a material used for producing a spark
especially : an alloy (as of iron and cerium) used in lighters
4
: something resembling flint in hardness
flintlike adjective

Examples of flint in a Sentence

the flint in a cigarette lighter
Recent Examples on the Web The Reba tribe on 'Survivor 45' | Credit: CBS Of course, Sifu would not be the first person unable to make fire with flint. Dalton Ross, EW.com, 28 Sep. 2023 Archaeologists have known that flint axes were traded from Denmark to the Arctic Circle in Norway, said study coauthor Lasse Sørensen, head of research of ancient cultures of Denmark and the Mediterranean at the National Museum in Copenhagen. Ashley Strickland, CNN, 15 Feb. 2024 When excavations were made in 2004 for a high-speed rail link to be built in Ebbsfleet in Kent, UK, elephant bones were found, surrounded by sharpened flint tools that have been dated to over 400,000 years old. Olivia Potts, Longreads, 15 Feb. 2024 The object turned out to be a five-inch-long flint dagger dated to the Neolithic era. Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Dec. 2023 This comes from vineyards in Touraine, on soils of clay, limestone and flint (the prized silex of the Loire Valley). Dave McIntyre, Washington Post, 18 Jan. 2024 Nothing except for the flint outcropping at Dishon would have supplied enough stone for more than a few tools. Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 29 July 2023 The Frontier is the only one that comes with either flint or percussion ignition. Brad Fenson, Outdoor Life, 1 Nov. 2023 The first tribe to complete the challenge receives a pot, a machete and a flint to take home and set up a shelter with. Selome Hailu, Variety, 27 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'flint.' 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

Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German flins pebble, hard stone

First Known Use

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

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

Dictionary Entries Near flint

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

flint

noun
1
: a hard dark quartz that produces a spark when struck by steel
2
a
: a piece of flint
b
: an alloy (as of iron and cerium) used for producing a spark in lighters
3
: something very hard
a heart of flint
flintily
ˈflint-ᵊl-ē
adverb
flintiness
ˈflint-ē-nəs
noun
flinty
adjective

Geographical Definition

Flint

geographical name

1
river 265 miles (426 kilometers) long in western Georgia flowing south and southwest into Lake Seminole
2
city in southeast central Michigan north-northwest of Detroit population 102,434
3
or Flintshire administrative area of northeastern Wales bordering England and the Irish Sea area 169 square miles (438 square kilometers), population 152,506

Biographical Definition

Flint

biographical name

Austin: father 1812–1886 and son 1836–1915 American physicians

More from Merriam-Webster on flint

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