flying buttress

Definition of flying buttressnext

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 flying buttress An aerodynamic channel in the rear pillar creates a flying buttress, while the roof is painted black. Caleb Miller, Car and Driver, 11 Nov. 2021 Details – rose windows, gargoyles, flying buttresses – came gradually. Mike Hughes, Cincinnati.com, 26 Apr. 2020 The vault is punctured by three gaping holes, and the flying buttresses are propped up by giant wooden blocks. Aurelien Breeden, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2020 And the damage threatened the delicate balance of forces between the vault and the cathedral’s flying buttresses: The entire building teetered on possible collapse. Christa Lesté-Lasserre, Science | AAAS, 12 Mar. 2020 See All Example Sentences for flying buttress
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flying buttress
Noun
  • Arches and natural bridges sweep like buttresses from jumbles of rock, giving this landscape a mystical, cathedral-like quality.
    Madison Chapman, Outside, 25 Mar. 2026
  • Together, the data points buttress worries from some Federal Reserve policymakers that the coast is far from clear for the labor market and may require more policy support — in the form of interest rate reductions — if the current state of play persists.
    Jeff Cox, CNBC, 6 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • Tucked between the second and third-floor staircases is a life-size statue of a nude woman leaning forward, her elbows resting on a pedestal displaying a bronze bust of the same statue.
    Jennifer Cannon, Vanity Fair, 7 Apr. 2026
  • His 8-foot statue rises from a 10-foot pedestal — harder to reach than the practically ground-level Otis trio.
    Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • And Cora is so good at threading needles on these issues, as in communicating his wishes without insulting this or that player.
    Steve Buckley, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
  • The tower was designed by the British architecture firm RMJM and features a twisting glass façade that spirals upward into a needle-like spire.
    Nathalie Nietzsche-Knappe, Architectural Digest, 7 Apr. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Flying buttress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flying%20buttress. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on flying buttress

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster