flying buttresses

noun

plural of flying buttress
as in buttresses

Related Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for flying buttresses
  1. buttresses
  2. pedestals
Noun
  • With their swollen, flaring buttresses and soaring heights of 80 feet or more, the trees are awe-inspiring when reflected in the dark water.
    — Charles Seabrook, AJC.com, 25 July 2026
  • Researchers have been concerned that without their icy buttresses, these walls could collapse.
    — Megan I. Gannon, Scientific American, 6 May 2026
Definition of buttresses
Noun
  • 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
  • In the temple's crumbling courtyard, little remains… mostly empty pedestals scattered among the Sralao trees.
    — Anderson Cooper, CBS News, 28 June 2026
Definition of pedestals
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.

Browse Nearby Words

flying buttress
flying buttresses
flying into a rage
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Flying buttresses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flying%20buttresses. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
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 salvo

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

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
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All