What does "flak" mean?
Ground-based anti-aircraft guns firing explosive shells.
Flak
/flæk/ noun, slang
noun, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Ground-based anti-aircraft guns firing explosive shells.
- Grammar: flak is listed as noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: abuse, ack-ack, ack-ack gun, adverse criticism.
- Useful contrasts: acclaim, approval, calm skies.
- Usage evidence: If you try to defend the seniority-based corporate escalator these days all you'll get is flak from younger employees.
How to use "flak"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "flak" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "flak" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "flak" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "flak" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "flak" is acting as noun, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abuse" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "flak", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Ground-based anti-aircraft guns firing explosive shells. countable, uncountable
"Another peculiar modern development is that of […] military abbreviations in army orders such as Flak ('Fliegerabwehrkanone' or 'archie')[.]"
- 2 artillery designed to shoot upward at airplanes wordnet
- 3 Anti-aircraft shell fire. countable, uncountable
"At 1057 we were just over the islands and at 1100 the tail gunner reported flak at six o'clock, below."
- 4 intense adverse criticism wordnet
- 5 Adverse criticism. countable, figuratively, informal, uncountable
"There’s always been a built-in backlash against big-scale caprices like Raiders of the Lost Ark from people who think that $20 million should be spent on more than entertainment for its own sake. Raiders may also get flak for not being as cuddly-lovable as Star Wars, or for using those old reliables – the Nazis – as villains, or for dazzling the audience with an almost brazen self-confidence."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 a slick spokesperson who can turn any criticism to the advantage of their employer wordnet
- 7 A public-relations spokesperson. countable, informal, uncountable
"2006, Edward Herman, Noam Chomsky, A Propaganda Model, in 2006 [2001], Meenakshi Gigi Durham, Douglas Kellner (editors), Media and Cultural Studies: Keyworks, revised edition, page 277, AIM head, Reed Irvine's diatribes are frequently published, and right-wing network flaks who regularly assail the “liberal media,” such as Michael Ledeen, are given Op-ed column space, sympathetic reviews, and a regular place on talk shows as experts."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"If you try to defend the seniority-based corporate escalator these days all you'll get is flak from younger employees."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "flak"?
Common synonyms include: abuse, ack-ack, ack-ack gun, adverse criticism, aggressiveness, air defense fire.
How do you use "flak" in a sentence?
If you try to defend the seniority-based corporate escalator these days all you'll get is flak from younger employees.
How do you pronounce "flak"?
Pronounced /flæk/.
Etymology
Borrowed from German FlaK, short for Fliegerabwehrkanone (“anti airplane cannon”).