as in sides
a place, space, or direction away from or beyond a central point or line
painted the name of the ship along its flank
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in adjoins
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 flanks
Nnamdi Onyeagwara, New York Times, 1 June 2026
The deposits that blanketed the volcanoes’ steep flanks were critical clues, Preine said.
—Quanta Magazine, 26 May 2026
At the nose is a pronounced S-duct directing so much airflow that the wipers had to be vertically configured at the flanks of the windshield.
—Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 25 May 2026
At Dolce & Gabbana, Cantino flanks Alfonso Dolce, chairman and CEO.
—Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 25 May 2026
Naegohyang played aggressively out of the gate, pressing Suwon’s defense early with long passes and runs on the flanks, but struggled to finish and had an offside goal disallowed in the fourth minute.
—ABC News, 20 May 2026
And given the challenges from both left and right, our best hope is to strengthen a political center that brings together moderates who reject the ideologues on their flanks.
—Joshua M. Davidson, New York Daily News, 11 May 2026
Thanks to their extensive railway systems, troops could be quickly deployed to one fighting position or another, preventing the enemy from marching around their flanks.
—Matthew S Williams, Interesting Engineering, 1 May 2026
Air tankers and helicopters have been assisting crews to create lines along the flanks of the fire.
—Christa Swanson, CBS News, 26 Apr. 2026
Julia Sayers Gokhale, Midwest Living, 17 Apr. 2026
This short out-and-back route is the perfect recovery run, with relatively flat terrain that flanks the river.
—Kristine Thomason, Outside, 9 Mar. 2026
But Hawley flanks the familiar creature from the movies with a variety of new monsters that get unleashed in the Maginot crash.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 5 Aug. 2025
Noun
There are no shortage of options for the wing-back roles; the most familiar name will be former Brighton full-back Pervis Esutipinan, but Nilson Angulo and Angelo Preciado both bring pace and dynamism to the flanks.
—Nnamdi Onyeagwara, New York Times, 1 June 2026
The deposits that blanketed the volcanoes’ steep flanks were critical clues, Preine said.
—Quanta Magazine, 26 May 2026
At the nose is a pronounced S-duct directing so much airflow that the wipers had to be vertically configured at the flanks of the windshield.
—Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 25 May 2026
At Dolce & Gabbana, Cantino flanks Alfonso Dolce, chairman and CEO.
—Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 25 May 2026
Naegohyang played aggressively out of the gate, pressing Suwon’s defense early with long passes and runs on the flanks, but struggled to finish and had an offside goal disallowed in the fourth minute.
—ABC News, 20 May 2026
And given the challenges from both left and right, our best hope is to strengthen a political center that brings together moderates who reject the ideologues on their flanks.
—Joshua M. Davidson, New York Daily News, 11 May 2026
Thanks to their extensive railway systems, troops could be quickly deployed to one fighting position or another, preventing the enemy from marching around their flanks.
—Matthew S Williams, Interesting Engineering, 1 May 2026
Air tankers and helicopters have been assisting crews to create lines along the flanks of the fire.
—Christa Swanson, CBS News, 26 Apr. 2026
Verb
The park flanks a tiny stretch of Table Rock Lake, a serpentine reservoir with more than 745 miles of shoreline.
—Julia Sayers Gokhale, Midwest Living, 17 Apr. 2026
This short out-and-back route is the perfect recovery run, with relatively flat terrain that flanks the river.
—Kristine Thomason, Outside, 9 Mar. 2026
But Hawley flanks the familiar creature from the movies with a variety of new monsters that get unleashed in the Maginot crash.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flanks
Noun
-
As the train climbs higher, sweeping mountain and valley views unfold on both sides, and in the colder months, skiers and snowboarders can be seen gliding down the slopes below.—
Lauren David,
Travel + Leisure,
29 May 2026
-
Since the reformatting of the Champions League in 2024-25, the past two Europa Leagues have gone to English sides, too.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
Investigators say the hiker became stranded after getting lost in the Sampson Mountain Wilderness section of Cherokee National Forest, which adjoins national forests in Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
7 May 2026
-
In the bathroom that adjoins the home gym, a soft-pink marble steals the show.—
Kathryn O’Shea-Evans,
Robb Report,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Seattle joins a growing list of cities and counties that are seeking to place limits on the explosive growth of AI data centers.—
Annie Palmer,
CNBC,
4 June 2026
-
Kyle joins the conversation, too.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
The French brand spent two years scouting its Shanghai home, which currently neighbors a Louis Vuitton pop-up.—
Lily Templeton,
Footwear News,
3 Sep. 2019
Verb
-
Tony touches such as twice-daily housekeeping, complimentary newspapers dropped at your door, and complimentary house car service (based on availability) make this splurge a worthwhile investment.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
-
War in Iran, mostly, which is making anything and everything that touches global shipping more expensive.—
Andrew Nusca,
Fortune,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
The same energy surrounds this modest character drama from first-time writer-director David Drake, which features everyone’s favorite supporting scene-stealer Margo Martindale in a starring role.—
Jason Bailey,
Vulture,
27 May 2026
-
What might have played effectively live on stage feels brutally stilted and over-egged here, especially as Maras surrounds his and Haig’s weakest material with the visual language of prestige cinema.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
26 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flanks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flanks. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
