flanking 1 of 3

Definition of flankingnext

flanking

2 of 3

noun

flanking

3 of 3

verb

present participle of flank

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 flanking
Noun
But Earth appears to have been struck by a far flanking edge of the storm, meaning most of the magnetic cloud likely missed our planet, according to an update from the center. Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 12 Nov. 2025 So at this time our forecast still holds but, as mentioned, with a low level of confidence for a grazing or flanking edge effect from the CME passages. Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
Verb
For much of the season’s first three months, the 30-year-old Dane spent time flanking Sebastian Aho on the top line or teamed up with second-year forwards Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake. Cory Lavalette, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2026 There’s a ladies’ and a gentlemen’s flanking the stairwell on this upper entry level, each outfitted with a cold plunge, sauna, steam room, and showers inside and out. Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Mar. 2026 Nearly Natural Artificial Boxwood Spiral Topiary Tree Potted faux shrubs add height and interest to your porch, and a pair of topiaries flanking the front door or steps welcomes guests in style. Melanie Fincher, Southern Living, 26 Feb. 2026 There are no Roomba-like machines flanking the stone, frantically brushing to extend its travel or hold its line. IEEE Spectrum, 18 Feb. 2026 Prompting that delay was beachcomber Jacob Bridgeman, who failed to cleanly hit off the shoreline flanking the 18th green en route to bogey. Cam Inman, Mercury News, 16 Feb. 2026 If the biggest stars in baseball are Japanese, South Korean or Latin American, think harder about flanking strategies that go around the NFL’s traditional reliance on North Americans. Rick Burton, Sportico.com, 11 Feb. 2026 In some cases, miners carry coal in baskets up on wooden slats flanking the walls of the mines. Arkansas Online, 6 Feb. 2026 Seagrapes, the open-air restaurant flanking the main pool, impressed with a bright shrimp ceviche and a crave-worthy smashburger dressed in Rosado’s take on Mayochup, the island’s beloved condiment. Amber Kallor, Travel + Leisure, 10 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flanking
Adjective
  • Candidates from all walks of life run for Congress each election cycle, from backgrounds in politics and government to adjacent fields such as law or public policy, but some hopefuls are leveraging their public profile as media personalities to help drive their campaigns.
    David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 23 Mar. 2026
  • To be fair, all these components are present in Court Street Grocers’ standard Italian combo, too—but the result, in that case, is less adjacent to perfection, with too many strong notes competing for the same frequencies.
    Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Recent acoustical changes to the ever-challenging Houston hall have even yielded more sonic presence, warmth and envelopment.
    Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News, 3 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Eighteen of the suites/rooms are adjoining for families.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Mar. 2026
  • The company next captured images on March 4 showing impact sites on the school and adjoining former IRGC base, with a total of seven buildings damaged or destroyed.
    Julie Tsirkin, NBC news, 6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • Notably, Pelona Hills is not subject to Mello-Roos taxes, offering homeowners lower annual costs than many neighboring developments.
    Sandra Barrera, Daily News, 19 Mar. 2026
  • Over at Flui, a boutique that blends silver accessories with denim from neighboring Ibara, the vibe is less tourist trap, more treasure hunt.
    Jessica Binns, Sourcing Journal, 18 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Birol said the other current energy crisis, involving natural gas, is worse than Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which cost the world 75 billion cubic meters of gas per day compared with the 140 billion cubic meters being lost daily now.
    Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 23 Mar. 2026
  • The gas price spike comes with many consumers already in a precarious position, particularly compared to 2022, when gas prices also soared because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
    Christopher Rugaber, Fortune, 23 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • In the 50th minute, Jordyn Huitema, who spent four seasons with Seattle before joining the Stars, scored Chicago's second goal.
    CBS News, CBS News, 23 Mar. 2026
  • For example, Omar Mateen, the Pulse nightclub shooter, had variously considered joining Al-Qaeda and Hezbollah before pledging allegiance to ISIS – three groups with sharply different views.
    Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 22 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Threats to escort missions can be reduced through air power or ground incursions to seize territory from where they might be launched, but that presents new problems, including many casualties among US ground troops, the analysts said.
    Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 16 Mar. 2026
  • Israel announced Monday the beginning of a ground incursion in southern Lebanon, warning that hundreds of thousands of residents from towns and villages in the large area south of the Litani river would not be permitted to return to their homes until the Israeli military achieved its objectives.
    CBS News, CBS News, 16 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Add it to the growing canvases of her daughters playing at the sea, climbing the rocks, placing their tiny hands in the crevices of the walls surrounding the house.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Mar. 2026
  • Other Republicans, however, have pointed more directly to the sequence of events surrounding Carr and the Colbert interview as a contributing factor.
    Samantha-Jo Roth, The Washington Examiner, 23 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Flanking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flanking. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.

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