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Synonyms

flagging

1 American  
[flag-ing] / ˈflæg ɪŋ /

adjective

  1. becoming smaller or weaker; dwindling.

  2. weak, fatigued, or drooping.

flagging 2 American  
[flag-ing] / ˈflæg ɪŋ /

noun

  1. flagstones collectively.

  2. a pavement or walk of flagstones.

flagging British  
/ ˈflæɡɪŋ /

noun

  1. flagstones or a flagged area

"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

Other Word Forms

  • flaggingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of flagging1

First recorded in 1535–45; flag 3 + -ing 2

Origin of flagging2

First recorded in 1615–25; flag 4 + -ing 1

Explanation

If something is flagging, it's worn out or weak. A flagging political campaign is running out of steam, losing the energy it needs to be successful. If your career is flagging, it's languishing or fading — you might need to go back to school and start a new one. Flagging public support for a new school might spell the end of the project. A different kind of flagging is the sort you walk on. If your patio is made of flagging, it's paved in stones — flagstones, to be specific. The "weakened" meaning of flagging comes from an early meaning of flag, "to flap about loosely."

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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.

And yet on Sunday night, the government published a statement setting out its interpretation of the law, claiming nothing stops civil servants from "sensibly flagging UK Security Vetting recommendations."

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026

The IEA is flagging the sharpest drop in demand since the pandemic, Stephen Innes, managing partner at SPI Asset Management, told MarketWatch.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 14, 2026

It's not just a one-way street for Magyar: he will be desperate to show his promise to reset ties with Brussels can bring fast benefits to Hungary and its flagging economy.

From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026

Their meeting was quickly interrupted by a message in the Microsoft Teams chat flagging that Nutella was in outer space.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

I suppose I’d gone to see Julian in order to revive my flagging assurance, in hopes he would make me feel as certain as I had that first day.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.