flagging
1 Americannoun
-
flagstones collectively.
-
a pavement or walk of flagstones.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of flagging1
First recorded in 1535–45; flag 3 + -ing 2
Origin of flagging2
Explanation
If something is flagging, it's worn out or weak. A flagging political campaign is running out of steam, losing the energy it needs to be successful. If your career is flagging, it's languishing or fading — you might need to go back to school and start a new one. Flagging public support for a new school might spell the end of the project. A different kind of flagging is the sort you walk on. If your patio is made of flagging, it's paved in stones — flagstones, to be specific. The "weakened" meaning of flagging comes from an early meaning of flag, "to flap about loosely."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Flagging his post on X was “The Big Short’s” Michael Burry, a steady critic of the AI boom who shot to fame for accurately calling the housing bust.
From MarketWatch • Jan. 21, 2026
Flagging demand may also have prompted some big companies to back off price hikes that originated with attempts to recoup profits lost during the pandemic.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 11, 2024
Day sees some hope: Flagging journals suspected of being targeted by paper mills can quickly deter additional fraudulent submissions.
From Science Magazine • May 9, 2023
Flagging impairments from its Russian exit, Shell said it had around $3 billion in non-current assets.
From Reuters • Mar. 5, 2022
Flagging energies, lashed by an indomitable will, must persevere.
From Masterpieces of Negro Eloquence The Best Speeches Delivered by the Negro from the days of Slavery to the Present Time by Dunbar-Nelson, Alice Moore
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.
