flesh

1 of 2

noun

1
a
: the soft parts of the body of an animal and especially of a vertebrate
especially : the parts composed chiefly of skeletal muscle as distinguished from internal organs, bone, and integument
b
: the condition of having ample fat on the body
cattle in good flesh
c
: skin
2
a
: edible parts of an animal
b
: flesh of a mammal or fowl eaten as food
3
a
: the physical nature of human beings
the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weakMatthew 26:41 (King James Version)
4
a
: human beings : humankind
b
: living beings
c
5
: a fleshy plant part used as food
also : the fleshy part of a fruit
6
Christian Science : an illusion that matter has sensation
7
: facts or details that provide substance to something
Her careful documentation puts the necessary flesh on much that has been merely speculation …John H. Crook

flesh

2 of 2

verb

fleshed; fleshing; fleshes

transitive verb

1
: to initiate or habituate especially by giving a foretaste
2
archaic : gratify
3
a
: to clothe or cover with or as if with flesh
broadly : to give substance to
usually used with out
flesh out a plan
b
: to make fuller or more nearly complete
used with out
museums fleshing out their collections with borrowed works
4
: to free from flesh

intransitive verb

: to become fleshy
often used with up or out
Phrases
in the flesh
: in person and alive

Examples of flesh in a Sentence

Noun the flabby white flesh of his belly a disease that causes sores on the flesh
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
While her subjects are utterly flat, their flesh is richly textured, hinting at depths of memory and character. Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024 Ropes wrapped around whales’ bodies, flippers or tails can cut into the animals’ skin and become deeply embedded in their flesh, as happened to whale #5120. Joshua Reed, The Conversation, 13 Mar. 2024 Whereas once upon a time vampy dark shades and glamorous reds were the order of the evening, barely-there pinks and muted flesh tones were about as dramatic as things got at the ceremony, with many celebrities opting for nothing at all. Georgia Day, Vogue, 11 Mar. 2024 After reports of early earthquake relief supplies being stolen by the Somoza regime in Nicaragua, Clemente decided to deliver the next plane of earthquake supplies himself, perhaps reasoning that government thieves wouldn’t dare steal from Roberto Clemente in the flesh. Stephen Rodrick, Variety, 8 Mar. 2024 What’s the name of the flower that can take years to bloom and smells like rotting flesh? CNN, 7 Mar. 2024 Gerard Butler, who voiced Stoick the Vast, the leader of the Viking clan and Hiccup’s father, is reprising his role in the flesh. Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Mar. 2024 His terrified mother called relatives back home, who reassured her that every other neighbor, cousin and son carried bullet fragments in their flesh. Rozina Ali, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2024 It was all served atop roasted marble potatoes, halved so the starchy flesh could soak up the rich juices from the meat. Rachel Bernhard, Journal Sentinel, 5 Mar. 2024
Verb
Murphy fleshes him out with loaded silences and pained gestures, his pale, expressive eyes conveying a world of hurt, of trauma yanked back to the surface by startling experience. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Feb. 2024 And attempts to flesh the story out beyond the group of seven mostly fall flat. Dalton Ross, EW.com, 10 Dec. 2023 Having cooked up a viable enough scenario, Cody doesn’t quite seem to know how to flesh it out beyond going increasingly over the top, giving the comedy a nagging air of desperation. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Feb. 2024 So much work has been over the years to flesh that out into a more robust lifestyle destination. Chadner Navarro, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Dec. 2023 Advertisement Stevenson doodled the character, then called Nightshade, in high school, then fleshed her out in college: The shape-shifting, gleefully murderous outcast just wouldn’t go away. Michael Ordoña, Los Angeles Times, 15 Nov. 2023 Previously, Steiner wrote the seeds of the songs by herself, then fleshed them out with Sagan before bringing them to the rest of the group or other friends. Britt Julious, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 2023 Having more characters meant fleshing them out in unique ways. WIRED, 17 June 2023 That final series of blows shows up a little past the halfway point in Cat Person the movie, however, and gets at the bigger problem that plagues this whole endeavor: how to flesh this out into a three-act narrative that works as a two-hour feature film. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 22 Jan. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'flesh.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English flǣsc; akin to Old High German fleisk flesh and perhaps to Old English flēan to flay — more at flay

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1530, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of flesh was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near flesh

Cite this Entry

“Flesh.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flesh. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

flesh

1 of 2 noun
1
a
: the soft parts of the body of an animal and especially the muscular parts
b
: sleek plump condition of body
cattle in good flesh
2
: parts of an animal used as food
3
: the physical being of a person as distinguished from the soul
4
: a fleshy plant part (as the pulp of a fruit)
fleshed
ˈflesht
adjective

flesh

2 of 2 verb
: to make more complete by adding details
flesh out a story

Medical Definition

flesh

noun
: the soft parts of the body of an animal and especially of a vertebrate
especially : the parts composed chiefly of skeletal muscle as distinguished from visceral structures, bone, and integuments see goose bumps, proud flesh
fleshed adjective

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