What does "flank" mean?
The lateral flesh between the last rib and the hip.
Flank
/flæŋk/ adj, noun, verb
adj, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The lateral flesh between the last rib and the hip.
- Grammar: flank is listed as adj, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: abut, advance, advance against, advance upon.
- Useful contrasts: center, front, frontal assault.
- Usage evidence: The palace has two wings, which flank a court of honor. Rows of columns join them with the main building.
How to use "flank"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "flank" 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 "flank" 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 "flank" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "flank" 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 "flank" is acting as adj, noun, verb 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 "abut" 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 "flank", 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 The lateral flesh between the last rib and the hip.
"Holonym: side"
- 2 the side between ribs and hipbone wordnet
- 3 A cut of meat from the flank of an animal.
- 4 a cut from the fleshy part of an animal's side between the ribs and the leg wordnet
- 5 The extreme left or right edge of a military formation, army etc.
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 the side of military or naval formation wordnet
- 7 The sides of a bastion perpendicular to the wall from which the bastion projects.
- 8 a subfigure consisting of a side of something wordnet
- 9 The side of something, in general senses.
"Cautiously I approached the flank of the cliffs, where they terminated in an abrupt escarpment as though some all powerful hand had broken off a great section of rock and set it upon the surface of the earth."
- 10 Either of the two pockets located on the seat of a pair of pants.
"I took the quarter I found and hid in my right flank."
- 11 An ideological faction within a political party.
"Ford survived a primary challenge in 1976 from the right flank of the Republican Party by Ronald Reagan."
- 12 The outermost strip of a road.
- 13 The wing, one side of the pitch.
"The hosts also had Paul Robinson to thank for a string of saves, three of them coming against Jerome Thomas, who gave Michel Salgado a torrid time down the left flank."
- 14 That part of the acting surface of a gear wheel tooth that lies within the pitch line.
Verb
- 1 To attack the flank(s) of. transitive
- 2 be located at the sides of something or somebody wordnet
- 3 To defend the flank(s) of. transitive
- 4 To place to the side(s) of. transitive
"Stately colonnades are flank'd with trees."
- 5 To be placed to the side(s) of something (usually in terms of two objects, one on each side). intransitive
Adjective
- 1 Maximum. Historically faster than full speed (the most a vessel can sustain without excessive engine wear or risk of damage), now frequently used interchangeably. Typically used in an emergency or during an attack. US, not-comparable
"All ahead flank!"
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"The palace has two wings, which flank a court of honor. Rows of columns join them with the main building."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "flank"?
Common synonyms include: abut, advance, advance against, advance upon, advocate, bank.
How do you use "flank" in a sentence?
The palace has two wings, which flank a court of honor. Rows of columns join them with the main building.
How do you pronounce "flank"?
Pronounced /flæŋk/.
Etymology
From Late Middle English flanc, from Late Old English flanc (“flank”), from Old French flanc, of Germanic origin, probably Frankish *hlanca, from Proto-Germanic *hlankō (“bend, curve, hip, flank”), from Proto-Germanic *hlankaz (“flexible, sleek, bendsome”), from Proto-Indo-European *kleng- (“to bend”). Akin to Old High German hlanca (“loin”), Middle Low German lanke (“hip joint”) (German lenken (“to bend, turn, lead”)), Old English hlanc (“loose, slender, flaccid, lank”). More at lank.