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blue flag

American

noun

any North American plant of the genus Iris, especially I. versicolor : the state flower of Tennessee.

Blue Flag British

noun

an award given to a seaside resort that meets EU standards of cleanliness of beaches and purity of water in bathing areas

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of blue flag

An Americanism dating back to 1775–85

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.

Surveillance cameras showed Rhine carrying cowbells and a blue flag with white stars in the building.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 27, 2023

Together on a boat near the Statue of Liberty, with the same blue flag in the background, they awkwardly took turns speaking to the camera.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2023

At the protests, Millaray would rap or stroll among protesters with her hand-painted blue flag bearing the “Wünelfe,” an eight-point star sacred in Mapuche iconography.

From New York Times • Jan. 27, 2023

In each spot where they did, he bent down and planted a little blue flag and said that’s where I’d likely find my bad pipe.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 13, 2022

The cookhouse couldn’t be more obvious—never mind the orange and blue flag, the boiler belching in the background, or the stream of people heading for it.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023