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flag of convenience

American  

noun

  1. the foreign flag under which merchant ships register in order to save on taxes or wages, or to avoid government regulations.


flag of convenience British  

noun

  1. a national flag flown by a ship registered in that country to gain financial or legal advantage

"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 flag of convenience

First recorded in 1955–60

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.

Another popular method of deception is to adopt a false flag or flag of convenience.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 22, 2026

It has since been renamed Rima and swapped its flag of convenience from Dominica to Iran - meaning it now falls under Iranian jurisdiction.

From BBC • Aug. 31, 2021

Most athletes who defected competed under a kind of flag of convenience – traveling to the Summer Games from eastern Europe with a plan to head west.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 4, 2021

Onboard the Kulluk was a skeleton crew of 18 men, along for the ride in large part because of an inconvenience of the rig’s flag of convenience.

From New York Times • Dec. 30, 2014

Despite the impressive roll call of corporate and investment names on the island, for many multinationals their Jersey presence is a flag of convenience.

From The Guardian • Jun. 26, 2012

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