flag up

British

verb

(tr; adverb) to bring (something) to someone's attention; point out

"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

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.

The linesman has been told all season not to put their flag up, so their brain has been trained.

From BBC • Feb. 15, 2026

Just throw the flag up when they're off.

From BBC • Nov. 11, 2025

It’s a tradition for the Marquez High football team to raise a black Gladiators flag up the stadium pole after each victory.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 24, 2025

"When an offside is so clear and obvious I think it is the duty of the assistant referee to put their flag up and stop play," former England women's midfielder Fara Williams told BBC Sport.

From BBC • May 14, 2025

I could see their silver flag up ahead, only one guard, who wasn’t even looking in my direction.

From "The Titan's Curse" by Rick Riordan

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