Illustration of flying buttress
flying buttress
noun
: a masonry structure that typically consists of a straight inclined bar carried on an arch and a solid pier or buttress against which it abuts and that receives the thrust of a roof or vault
Examples of flying buttress in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Common traits include pointed arches, ribbed vaults, and flying buttresses, all of which enabled the structures to be built taller and stronger.
—
Stefanie Waldek, Architectural Digest, 9 Jan. 2026
In this era, ogival windows and flying buttresses would be more bracing than yet another thicket of computerized-looking shapes.
—D. T. Max, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
That pinning point sustains pressure against the glacier’s interior, like a flying buttress pressing against the wall of a cathedral.
—Marissa Grunes, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Jan. 2023
The shelf and the sheet help to stabilize each other, like a flying buttress and a cathedral arch.
—David W. Brown, The New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2022
See All Example Sentences for flying buttress
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Stefanie Waldek, Architectural Digest, 9 Jan. 2026
In this era, ogival windows and flying buttresses would be more bracing than yet another thicket of computerized-looking shapes.
—D. T. Max, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
That pinning point sustains pressure against the glacier’s interior, like a flying buttress pressing against the wall of a cathedral.
—Marissa Grunes, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Jan. 2023
The shelf and the sheet help to stabilize each other, like a flying buttress and a cathedral arch.
—David W. Brown, The New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2022
See All Example Sentences for flying buttress
Cite this Entry
“Flying buttress.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flying%20buttress. Accessed 18 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
