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
In some cases, miners carry coal in baskets up on wooden slats flanking the walls of the mines. Arkansas Online, 6 Feb. 2026 Instead, Chelsea set up with Marc Cucurella and Malo Gusto providing the width as wing-backs flanking Jorrel Hato, Trevoh Chalobah, and Wesley Fofana. Cerys Jones, New York Times, 3 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 During construction, two additional wings were added, flanking the original building to accommodate new guest rooms. Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Jan. 2026 One clip in the carousel sees her two young sons flanking her on stage in mid-December in Buenos Aires. Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 31 Dec. 2025 There is also an undated shot of Clinton and Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger flanking a woman whose face has been blacked out at an unspecified event. Tom Winter, NBC news, 20 Dec. 2025 Athletes will sit on the fields in a dedicated space flanking the protocol stage. Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 16 Dec. 2025 The Magnify, Info, Q, Delete, and Play buttons are located lower down, flanking the flat rear command dial (used for EV compensation in most modes), with a central Set button. PC Magazine, 1 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flanking
Adjective
  • The federal agency is embarking on the Los Angeles Coastal Area Special Resource Study, which focuses on the coastline and adjacent areas along Santa Monica Bay from Will Rogers State Beach to Torrance Beach, including areas around Ballona Creek, as well as San Pedro.
    Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2026
  • Freestyle skiing adds dual moguls Freestyle skiing is bringing in dual moguls for women and men — basically the same sort of judging based on technique, flips and twists, plus speed, as the existing moguls event, but with two athletes going down the hill in adjacent lanes.
    Howard Fendrich, Chicago Tribune, 7 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • As for the rental’s neighbors, the regulations, if approved, also stipulate that a short-term rental’s owner send a letter by mail to adjoining property owners informing them that the residence has been approved as a short-term rental at least one week before the first rental in a calendar year.
    Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 8 Jan. 2026
  • But the town adjoining the base, Delta Junction, is small (with a 2020 population of 918) and has only a handful of food stores and restaurants.
    Davis Winkie, USA Today, 8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • The Justice Department has already been flying in attorneys from other neighboring Midwestern districts to assist with the load, including the Eastern District of Michigan.
    Sarah N. Lynch, CBS News, 29 Jan. 2026
  • Georgia and neighboring Southeastern states were expected to see dangerously cold temperatures starting Monday, before lows dip into the teens and even single digits Tuesday morning.
    Kristi Swartz, AJC.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • The footage starts by referencing the fiery climax of the 2019 original, in which Pitt's stuntman Cliff Booth and Leonardo DiCaprio's Rick Dalton battled followers of Charles Manson during a home invasion.
    Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 9 Feb. 2026
  • In the first weeks after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, a strange pattern emerged in Western media coverage.
    Charles Edward Gehrke, Fortune, 9 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Since then, his parents have been living in the RV outside of their home, joining the dozens of other recreational vehicles now found across Altadena since the fire.
    Zach Boetto, CBS News, 8 Feb. 2026
  • Andrew had lived at Royal Lodge since 2003, with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, joining him there five years later in 2008.
    Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 8 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • The incursion feels pointed, but before two Sikh immigrants can be whisked away — men who have lived there a decade or longer — a slight commotion begins.
    Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 1 Feb. 2026
  • Our incursion into Venezuela was less about drug trafficking than control of oil.
    Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 1 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • The stepbrother of a Florida teenager who died aboard a Carnival cruise ship appeared in federal court in Miami on Friday, as investigators continue probing the circumstances surrounding her death.
    Sophia Compton, FOXNews.com, 10 Feb. 2026
  • Rooted in contemporary rural Spain, to protect that grounding, Sánchez Arévalo is surrounding de la Torre with non-professional actors drawn from the Extremadura town of Fregenal de la Sierra after an extensive local casting process.
    Emiliano De Pablos, Variety, 9 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • Alas, escaping through the forest in the snow, Elisabeta is killed in an ambush.
    Jocelyn Noveck, Boston Herald, 5 Feb. 2026
  • Their planned ambush is turned on them, and ultimately Roper puts a bullet in Teddy’s head for his defection.
    Hunter Ingram, Variety, 1 Feb. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Flanking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flanking. Accessed 10 Feb. 2026.

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