FLANKS Synonyms: 51 Similar and Opposite Words

flanks 1 of 2

noun

Definition of flanks next

plural of flank

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

flanks

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of flank

as in adjoins

to be adjacent to the guards flank the center on a football team's offensive line

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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

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

Federal prosecutors alleged that the suspects held guns while standing on both sides of the car and demanded that the victim hand over the cash.

— Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2026
The widespread opposition has turned into a rare bipartisan issue, with conservatives and liberals joining sides to an astonishing degree.

— Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 4 June 2026