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.
So far, the proposed Flagpole of Freedom Park has done precisely the opposite.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 1, 2023
He also landed in hot water months later when the Maine Department of Environmental Protection accused Worcester Holdings of constructing Flagpole View Cabins - more than 50 of them - without necessary permits.
From Washington Times • Jun. 30, 2023
“We’ve always used darker shades,” said Jaime Barker, one half of the duo behind Flagpole Swim.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 11, 2016
For several years, Newtown has had its own version of “A Prairie Home Companion,” a music and comedy review called the Flagpole Radio Café.
From New York Times • Apr. 19, 2013
Generally September is the earliest month in which it begins, and November the latest for it to end; but this year the shady side of "Flagpole" was too moist to take fire until December.
From Station Life in New Zealand by Barker, Lady (Mary Anne)
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.
