flagpole
Americannoun
noun
-
a pole or staff on which a flag is hoisted and displayed
-
to pursue a tentative course of action in order to gauge the reaction it receives
Etymology
Origin of flagpole
Explanation
A flagpole is a long bar that holds a cloth banner representing a country, state, school, or team. If you want to fly the Stars and Stripes on the Fourth of July, you'll need a flagpole! The word flagpole is pretty straightforward; it's a pole that supports a flag at the end of it. The flagpole on your grandparents' front porch might be five feet long and made of wood, while the aluminum flagpole in front of your school could be 30 feet tall. Before the Great Depression in the 1920s, flagpole-sitting (climbing to the top of a flagpole and staying there as long as possible) briefly became a popular fad.
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.
If you calculate the length of the flagpole to the bottom pennant, as some technicians do, the upside target would be about 7.4%.
From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026
Nearby, a municipal flagpole is rusted, palm trees are dead, handrails are covered with stickers and a sign establishing a “Special Enforcement and Cleaning Zone” is covered with grime and graffiti.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2026
Bavarian comedian Maxi Schafroth, 41, attempted to run up the Stars and Stripes on a flagpole near the cultural centre in Nuuk, before he was confronted by angry passers-by.
From Barron's • Jan. 29, 2026
The department did not confirm that the Irish flag was erected on the flagpole.
From BBC • Jul. 25, 2025
You know how in the middle of the yard there’s that huge flagpole?
From "Harbor Me" by Jacqueline Woodson
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.
