flag

¹ American  

[flag] / flæg /

noun

1. a piece of cloth, varying in size, shape, color, and design, usually attached at one edge to a staff or cord, and used as the symbol of a nation, state, or organization, as a means of signaling, etc.; ensign; standard; banner; pennant.

2. Ornithology. the tuft of long feathers on the legs of falcons and most hawks; the lengthened feathers on the crus or tibia.

3. Hunting. the tail of a deer or of a setter dog.

4. Journalism.

   1. the nameplate of a newspaper.

   2. masthead.

   3. the name of a newspaper as printed on the editorial page.

5. a tab or tag attached to a page, file card, etc., to mark it for attention.

6. Music. hook.

7. Movies, Television. a small gobo.

8. Usually flags the ends of the bristles of a brush, especially a paintbrush, when split.

9. Computers. a symbol, value, or other means of identifying data of interest, or of informing later parts of a program what conditions earlier parts have encountered.

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verb (used with object)

flagged, flagging

1. to place a flag or flags over or on; decorate with flags.

2. to signal or warn (a person, automobile, etc.) with or as if with a flag (sometimes followed bydown ).

   to flag a taxi; to flag down a passing car.

3. to communicate (information) by or as if by a flag.

4. to decoy, as game, by waving a flag or the like to excite attention or curiosity.

5. to mark (a page in a book, file card, etc.) for attention, as by attaching protruding tabs.

6. (of a brush) to split the ends of the bristles.

idioms

1. strike the flag, Also strike one's flag.

   1. to relinquish command, as of a ship.

   2. to submit or surrender.

      His financial situation is growing worse, but he's not ready to strike the flag.

flag ² American  

[flag] / flæg /

noun

1. any of various plants with long, sword-shaped leaves, as the sweet flag.

2. blue flag.

3. the long, slender leaf of such a plant or of a cereal.

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flag ³ American  

[flag] / flæg /

verb (used without object)

flagged, flagging

1. to fall off in vigor, energy, activity, interest, etc..

   Public enthusiasm flagged when the team kept losing.

   Synonyms:

   wane, sag, slump, wilt, dwindle

2. to hang loosely or limply; droop.

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flag ⁴ American  

[flag] / flæg /

noun

1. flagstone.

2. flags, flagstone.

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verb (used with object)

flagged, flagging

1. to pave with flagstones.

flag ¹ British  

/ flæɡ /

noun

1. a piece of cloth, esp bunting, often attached to a pole or staff, decorated with a design and used as an emblem, symbol, or standard or as a means of signalling

2. a small paper flag, emblem, or sticker sold on flag days

3. computing an indicator, that may be set or unset, used to indicate a condition or to stimulate a particular reaction in the execution of a computer program

4. informal short for flag officer flagship

5. journalism another name for masthead

6. the fringe of long hair, tapering towards the tip, on the underside of the tail of certain breeds of dog, such as setters

7. the conspicuously marked tail of a deer

8. a less common name for bookmark

9. the part of a taximeter that is raised when a taxi is for hire

10. the pennant-shaped pattern that is formed when a price fluctuation is plotted on a chart, interrupting the steady rise or fall that precedes and then follows it

11. (in Victoria, Australia) the Australian Rules premiership

12. to represent or show support for one's country, an organization, etc

13. 1. to assert a claim, as to a territory or stretch of water, by military presence

    2. informal to be present; make an appearance

14. 1. to relinquish command, esp of a ship

    2. to submit or surrender

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verb

1. to decorate or mark with a flag or flags

2. (often foll by down) to warn or signal (a vehicle) to stop

3. to send or communicate (messages, information, etc) by flag

4. to decoy (game or wild animals) by waving a flag or similar object so as to attract their attention

5. to mark (a page in a book, card, etc) for attention by attaching a small tab or flag

6. to draw attention to (something)

7. to consider unimportant; brush aside

flag ² British  

/ flæɡ /

verb

1. to hang down; become limp; droop

2. to decline in strength or vigour; become weak or tired

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flag ³ British  

/ flæɡ /

noun

1. any of various plants that have long swordlike leaves, esp the iris Iris pseudacorus ( yellow flag )

2. the leaf of any such plant

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flag ⁴ British  

/ flæɡ /

noun

1. short for flagstone

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verb

1. (tr) to furnish (a floor) with flagstones

Other Word Forms

• flagger
  noun
• flagless
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of flag¹

First recorded in 1475–85; perhaps blend of flap (noun) and fag ² (noun) in obsolete sense “flap”

Origin of flag²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English flagge

Origin of flag³

First recorded in 1535–45; perhaps blend of of flap (verb) and fag ² (verb) in obsolete sense “to droop”. See flag ¹

Origin of flag⁴

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English flagge “piece of sod”; akin to Old Norse flaga “slab”

Explanation

A flag is a piece of cloth that represents a country, group, or institution. If you're particularly proud of your Irish heritage, you might fly an Irish flag in your front yard. A real flag enthusiast might fly the American flag, their state flag, their city's flag, and the flag of their parents' birth countries. There are also flags used for signaling on ships at sea and during races and sporting events, and flags that represent armies or advertise products. When flag is used as a verb, it means "to lose energy or enthusiasm." When students start to flag in the afternoon, they tend to take a quick nap — sitting up at their desks.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

flag flagged flagging

Some Venezuelans, draped in the country's flag, supported the prosecution.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

Lillian Gobitas, a 12-year-old Jehovah’s Witness, was expelled from school in 1935 for refusing to pledge allegiance to the American flag.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

The agreement, which ends this year, offers preferential tariffs and easier bureaucratic rules for ships under the Panamanian flag in Chinese ports.

From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026

Roughly a month ago, Stocktwits CEO and co-founder Howard Lindzon raised a red flag on his blog about chip stocks, selling down more than half of his semiconductor-index exposure.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026

But one evening when the boys stood in review, a superior leader spotted the new flag.

From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Multiple audits have flagged a lack of oversight, while a task force of federal prosecutors have brought at least three fraud cases over the use of funds intended to help the homeless.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

Those whose accounts have been flagged have been asked to submit evidence to the club to defend themselves if they feel they have been wrongly accused.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

French Senators had opted for a two-tier system distinguishing between blacklisted platforms flagged as harmful to a child's development, and those that could still be accessed with parental consent.

From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026

Industries in particular they flagged as beneficiaries, where strong earnings revisions are seemingly underappreciated, were consumer discretionary goods and transports.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026

The floor was flagged, and strewn with fresh green rushes.

From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien

Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas recently published a report for clients, flagging makers of bearings as potential “picks and shovels” plays for the robotics boom.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026

Since the pandemic, millions of Chinese youth have dealt with increasing financial pressure, high unemployment rates and a flagging economy.

From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026

“It’s a flagging industry. ... The industry will have to consolidate to survive,” said C. Kerry Fields, a USC Marshall School of Business economics professor.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026

Jefferies analyst Surinder Thind has been wary of the company’s growth prospects for months, flagging softening demand as far back as March, at the time of Accenture’s previous earnings report.

From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026

There were still no signs of flagging or giving up.

From "Matilda" by Roald Dahl

Related Words

• abate
• deteriorate
• ebb
• fade
• languish
• sag
• wane