What does "flint" mean?
A hard, fine-grained quartz that fractures conchoidally and generates sparks when struck against a material such as steel, because tiny chips of the steel are heated to incandescence and burn in air.
Flint
/flɪnt/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A hard, fine-grained quartz that fractures conchoidally and generates sparks when struck against a material such as steel, because tiny chips of the steel are heated to incandescence and burn in air.
- Grammar: flint is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: adamant, bone, brand, brick.
- Usage evidence: Centuries ago, people started fires using flint and steel.
How to use "flint"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "flint" 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 "flint" 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 "flint" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "flint" 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 "flint" is acting as name, 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 "adamant" 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 "flint", 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 A hard, fine-grained quartz that fractures conchoidally and generates sparks when struck against a material such as steel, because tiny chips of the steel are heated to incandescence and burn in air. countable, uncountable
"He used flint to make a fire."
- 2 a hard kind of stone; a form of silica more opaque than chalcedony wordnet
- 3 A piece of flint, such as a gunflint, used to produce a spark by striking it with a firestriker. countable, uncountable
- 4 A small cylinder of some other material of the same function in a cigarette lighter, etc. countable, uncountable
- 5 A type of maize/corn with a hard outer hull. countable, uncountable
Show 1 more definition
- 6 Anything figuratively hard. countable, figuratively, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To furnish or decorate an object with flint. transitive
"No schoolboys lingered round Bob Robertson's (yclept Roberson's) blacksmith's shop, for this sleepy day no lusty throat bellowed attention to the flaming tongues fanned from its bloodily blazing teeth; no luminous stars flinted from the clanking anvil."
Adjective
- 1 showing unfeeling resistance to tender feelings wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A placename:; A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Mitchell County, Georgia, named after the Flint River.
- 2 A placename:; A number of places in the United States:; A township in Pike County, Illinois.
- 3 A placename:; A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Jackson Township, Steuben County, Indiana.
- 4 A placename:; A number of places in the United States:; A former unincorporated community in Calloway County, Kentucky.
- 5 A placename:; A number of places in the United States:; A city, the county seat of Genesee County, Michigan.
"Each one claimed they were unjustly criticized, while claiming to have had Flint residents in mind."
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 A placename:; A number of places in the United States:; A township in Genesee County, Michigan, adjacent to the city.
- 7 A placename:; A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Sharon Township, Franklin County, Ohio.
- 8 A placename:; A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Smith County, Texas.
- 9 A placename:; A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Randolph County, West Virginia.
- 10 A placename:; A town and community with a town council in Flintshire, Wales, by the estuary of the River Dee (OS grid ref SJ2472).
- 11 A surname.
Example
"Centuries ago, people started fires using flint and steel."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "flint"?
Common synonyms include: adamant, bone, brand, brick, butane lighter, cement.
How do you use "flint" in a sentence?
Centuries ago, people started fires using flint and steel.
How do you pronounce "flint"?
Pronounced /flɪnt/.
Etymology
From Middle English flynt, flint, from Old English flint, from Proto-West Germanic *flint, from Proto-Germanic *flintaz (compare Dutch vlint, flint (“flint, cobblestone”), German Flins, Flint (“flint, pebble”), Danish flint (“flint”)), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)plind- (“to split, cleave”) (compare Irish slinn (“slate, shingle”), Ancient Greek πλίνθος (plínthos)), from *(s)pley- (“to split”). More at split.