flag down

1. Signal to stop, as in The police were flagging down all cars. This expression uses the verb flag in the sense of “catch the attention of, as by waving a flag,” a usage dating from the mid-1800s; down was added in the first half of the 1900s.

Example Sentences

Most said they were abused inside the county’s juvenile halls, but had not planned to sue until they were flagged down on the sidewalk and offered cash.

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“So perhaps if you can label them a domestic terrorist group, in all reality, you could take that flag down, because it would represent the Transtifa.”

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A festival-goer flagged down a Pershing County sheriff’s deputy to report the death in the campsite.

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Meanwhile, the Labour-run city council in Birmingham has been accused of leaving Palestinian flags up but taking St George's and union jack flags down.

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The volunteers’ typical two-hour shifts also entail telling hikers not to light a cigarette on trail, flagging down cars accidentally sparking on the road and, hopefully, deterring arsonists.

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Related Words

• address 
• greet 
• salute 
• signal 
• welcome