as in chip
a small flat piece separated from a whole
sprinkle the cake with coconut flakes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in eccentric
a person of odd or whimsical habits
the lady with all those cats is sweet, but kind of a flake
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of flake
Ryan Brennan, Sacbee.com, 30 Apr. 2026
Blanch young leaves briefly, then sauté with olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes and lemon.
—Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 30 Apr. 2026
Jacqueline Kilikita, Refinery29, 19 Dec. 2025
This includes the best barrier creams to slather onto your complexion when the temps drop below freezing (or—sorry to say it—your skin starts to flake).
—Jessie Quinn, StyleCaster, 20 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flake
Noun
Blanch young leaves briefly to soften the bitterness, then sauté with olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes and a squeeze of lemon.
—Ryan Brennan, Sacbee.com, 30 Apr. 2026
Blanch young leaves briefly, then sauté with olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes and lemon.
—Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 30 Apr. 2026
Verb
Tubing formulas are also less likely to smudge or flake, and this one never does.
—Jacqueline Kilikita, Refinery29, 19 Dec. 2025
This includes the best barrier creams to slather onto your complexion when the temps drop below freezing (or—sorry to say it—your skin starts to flake).
—Jessie Quinn, StyleCaster, 20 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flake
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flake
scale
Verb
-
Up next, the goal is to scale this framework across diverse applications, such as lithium-ion batteries and electric vehicles.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
6 May 2026
-
Lindell’s lab, funded by MARINER, focused on improving crop yield by selectively breeding kelp with desirable qualities — such as nonreproductive capabilities to prevent interbreeding with wild kelp — so that, down the line, farmers could scale up their kelp production.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flake.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flake. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
