to bend, as a part of the body.
He flexed his arms to show off his muscles.
to tighten (a muscle) by contraction.
to demonstrate (one’s ability, expertise, etc.).
She’s flexed her marketing skills for various clients in the publishing industry.
Slang. to boast or brag about; flaunt.
He’s just not into flexing his success.
to bend.
Slang. to boast or brag; show off.
In his rap lyrics he flexes about his fancy lifestyle.
the act of flexing.
Slang. a boast or brag.
It's not a flex, but we have the best burgers here.
British.
any flexible, insulated electric cord; an electric cord or extension cord.
Slang. an elastic band, as a garter.
Mathematics. an inflection point.
US and Canadian name: cord. a flexible insulated electric cable, used esp to connect appliances to mains
informal flexibility or pliability
to bend or be bent
he flexed his arm
his arm flexed
to contract (a muscle) or (of a muscle) to contract
(intr) to work according to flexitime
to test or display (one's authority or strength)
What else does flex mean? Flex is a slang term meaning "to show off," whether it be your physique, your belongings, or some other thing you consider superior to those of others. The act of flexing is often criticized as a power move, considered arrogant and insincere.
First recorded in 1515–25; (adjective) from Latin flexus, past participle of flectere “to bend, turn”; (noun) from Latin flexus act of bending, equivalent to flect(ere) + -tus suffix of verbal action
Shortening of flexible
When you flex something, you bend or contract it. To appear super tough, you might flex your archery bow while flexing your muscles. Things curve and bend when they flex, whether they're human joints or objects made of a bendable material like plastic or soft wood. Another way to flex is to tense or contract a muscle: "The weightlifter flexes her biceps." Experts suspect that flexible came first, from the Latin root flexibilis, "flexible, pliant, or yielding," and figuratively, "tractable, or easily influenced."
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Flex was in the top 15 companies not in the index with a market value of more than $50 billion.
From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026
Nvidia said the facilities would use its Vera Rubin DSX reference architecture, alongside a software layer known as DSX Flex, which allows operators to align computing workloads with power availability.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026
Growing up in Wolverhampton, director Flex Singh said he "never really saw someone who looked like me" in films from Hollywood or British cinema.
From BBC • Mar. 13, 2026
Annual recurring revenue from Falcon Flex was up more than 120% in the fiscal fourth quarter.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 10, 2026
Flex the wrist with the fingers extended, and again with the fingers in the fist.
From A Practical Physiology by Blaisdell, Albert F.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
