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Showing results for flagging. Search instead for flaggings.
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.

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

Notes from school nurses flagging that a child failed a vision screening may also get lost in a backpack on the way home, educators say.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2026

Bank of America lowered its 2026 estimates on Wednesday, flagging risks of “a little stagflation” and noting that high oil prices could threaten consumer spending.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

Former deputy cabinet secretary Helen MacNamara has criticised Downing Street for apparently not flagging McSweeney's phone theft to the police as a security risk.

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026

After flagging down the durian boatman, the guards would carry the enormous spiky-skinned fruit to the wooden table under their shaded pavilion.

From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat

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.