flying buttress

noun

Definition of flying buttressnext
as in buttress

Related Words

Relevance

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
  1. buttress
  2. pedestal
  3. needle
Noun
  • Mahama stressed the need for African governments to cut waste and improve governance as a buttress against increasingly frequent international shocks because a return to the old system of global support is very unlikely.
    — Alexis Akwagyiram, semafor.com, 5 June 2026
  • Over the next five years restoration will extend to the three great rose windows of the west, north, and south façades, the flying buttresses of the nave, the west façade towers, and the windows of the nave tribune as well as the choir chapels.
    — Michael T. Davis, The New York Review of Books, 23 May 2026
Definition of buttress
Noun
  • Tall branches of persimmons filled an enormous cobalt-blue fishbowl on a rosewood pedestal.
    — Min Jin Lee, New Yorker, 19 July 2026
  • A lot of them are tucked away in vitrines that serve as pedestals for dresses by some of the world’s most exclusive designers.
    — Jed Perl, The New York Review of Books, 4 July 2026
Definition of pedestal
Noun
  • Bone must be separated from surrounding rock millimeter by millimeter with a pneumatic chisel, whose needle gently breaks away rock while ultraviolet light reveals where the bone ends and the surrounding rock begins.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 July 2026
  • When middle-sixers such as Kiefer Sherwood and Bobby McMann are getting that for their declining years, a legit needle-mover such as Blake should add a ton of surplus value above that.
    — Dom Luszczyszyn, New York Times, 22 July 2026
Definition of needle

Browse Nearby Words

flying at
flying buttress
flying buttresses
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Flying buttress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flying%20buttress. Accessed 24 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on flying buttress

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about flying buttress

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!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of itinerant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

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

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

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
chain-question-mark
Missing Link Quiz July 2026 Five seconds to figure out the word that fits bot...
See All