flagging
1 Americannoun
-
flagstones collectively.
-
a pavement or walk of flagstones.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of flagging1
First recorded in 1535–45; flag 3 + -ing 2
Origin of flagging2
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."
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.
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
One experienced trader is flagging the stress visible in equity financing rates and saying there’s a complacency from the conviction that the market only goes higher.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 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
Oil prices fell Monday on optimism over US-Iran peace talks, with mediators flagging a "roadmap" to a final agreement, while most equities rose thanks to another healthy start for tech firms.
From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026
It might be different if he were flagging down a passing car or trying to phone for help, but typing, in and of itself, is not an inherently dramatic activity.
From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris
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.
