flanking 1 of 3

adjective

as in adjacent
having a border in common flanking farms that share the same water source

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

flanking

2 of 3

noun

as in envelopment

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

flanking

3 of 3

verb

present participle of flank
as in adjoining
to be adjacent to the guards flank the center on a football team's offensive line

Synonyms & Similar Words

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
Photos of the room show headpieces on ledges flanking the fireplace about 6 feet off the floor. — Bay Area News Group, Mercury News, 2 July 2026 The other messages flanking the banners are just as mismatched. — Christopher Hooks, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026 His father's tombstone usually has the American flag, Irish flag and a military flag flanking either side, but those appeared to be removed on Monday. — Brandon Truitt, CBS News, 25 June 2026 The site will be largely dedicated to inkjet printing technologies for fashion and home textiles, flanking the existing textile division at the Kufstein complex. — Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 23 June 2026 In a clip played right before Jackson took the stage for his last concert on his One More for the Road – The Finale tour, Swift’s surprise video was played on screens flanking the stage. — Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 28 June 2026 The patriarch’s younger son, Abhay, thirty-nine, and his family live on the top floor in a spacious, breezy apartment that commands a fine view of Dhakuria Lake, which stretches away into the distance, flanking Southern Avenue. — Literary Hub, 16 June 2026 That leaves room for all sorts of brainstorming, including Aitken’s curiosity about flanking the development with high-rise residential buildings, similar to the condominiums that have risen next to Petco Park in San Diego. — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2026 The Transportation Security Administration projects heavy travel volumes on both days flanking the long weekend, with more than 3 million passengers expected to pass through TSA checkpoints on Sunday alone. — Denise Chow, NBC news, 20 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flanking
  1. adjacent
  2. envelopment
  3. adjoining
  4. neighboring
  5. invasion
  6. joining
  7. incursion
  8. surrounding
Adjective
  • During her visit, Princess Kate was also told about the plans for a new building, adjacent to the existing site and which is set to open in the early 2030s.
    — Simon Perry, PEOPLE, 6 July 2026
  • However, elites’ DNA contained genetic similarities known as runs of homozygosity — adjacent genetic markers indicating common ancestry — and their genomes tended to be more homogenous than those of non-elites.
    — Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
Definition of adjacent
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
Definition of envelopment
Verb
  • Safa Muhammad lives in the townhomes adjoining the lot, and attended the open house with some neighbors.
    — Evy Lewis, Chicago Tribune, 25 June 2026
  • Several suites are in the mix, including a Palace Roof Suite with swoon-worthy scenery from its waterfront terrace and a Bosphorus Palace Suite that can connect to adjoining rooms to create a three-bedroom royal residence.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026
Definition of adjoining
Adjective
  • The suspect got away via steps to a small street to the neighboring French town of Beausoleil, according to surveillance footage.
    — Philippe Magoni, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026
  • The suspect crossed the border into France on foot, and was identified via video surveillance in Monaco and the neighboring French town of Beausoleil, Mirmand said.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 June 2026
Definition of neighboring
Noun
  • Serhii Okunev | Afp | Getty Images Ukrainian drones struck a major oil refinery in the city of Omsk in western Siberia, in what appears to be one of Kyiv's deepest attacks on Russian territory since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
    — Sam Meredith, CNBC, 7 July 2026
  • Anxiety in the Russian capital is high following Ukraine’s June 18 drone attack, the largest since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, and the second targeting Moscow’s Kapotnya refinery in less than a week.
    — Clare Sebastian, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
Definition of invasion
Verb
  • Thank you all so much, Trevor, Karissa, Sarah for joining me on The Excerpt, and of course, Happy 4th of July.
    — Dana Taylor, USA Today, 3 July 2026
  • Before becoming a pro, Kelly, an Anaheim native, played his high school baseball with CHS before joining UC Riverside for college ball.
    — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 2 July 2026
Definition of joining
Noun
  • Past Israel-Hezbollah ceasefires in Lebanon have often failed, and, in the run-up to the MOU, Israeli forces made their deepest incursions into Lebanon in the past quarter century.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 26 June 2026
  • Settlers have also made incursions into the Palestinian city.
    — Ruth Sherlock, NPR, 26 June 2026
Definition of incursion
Verb
  • The council would then examine the details surrounding the change before passing an ordinance expanding those voting rights.
    — Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026
  • The design is open and clean, with a deliberate choice to draw the surrounding scenery deep into the interior of the home.
    — Bridget Borgobello July 03, New Atlas, 4 July 2026
Definition of surrounding

Browse Nearby Words

flanked
flanking
flanks
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Flanking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flanking. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on flanking

Nglish: Translation of flanking for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All