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
  • At a number of events on Tuesday, senior officials made a case for gas as essential for energy security and a buttress to renewables.
    Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 23 Sep. 2025
  • In this era, ogival windows and flying buttresses would be more bracing than yet another thicket of computerized-looking shapes.
    D. T. Max, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The Islamic Republic is a theocracy that claims to rule from a moral pedestal.
    Karim Sadjadpour, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2026
  • Others climbed a spiral staircase along the pedestal that supports the instrument.
    Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 31 Dec. 2025
Noun
  • The new users may include people who are afraid of needles, as well as patients who could benefit from existing injections but don’t view their condition as severe enough to warrant a weekly shot.
    Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 10 Jan. 2026
  • Add about 3 to 4 inches of shredded bark, pine needles, or other organic types of mulch.
    Lee Wallender, The Spruce, 10 Jan. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Flying buttress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flying%20buttress. Accessed 18 Jan. 2026.

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