flag

[flag]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR flag ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a piece of cloth, varying in size, shape, color, and design, usually attached at one edge to a staff or cord, and used as the symbol of a nation, state, or organization, as a means of signaling, etc.; ensign; standard; banner; pennant.

Ornithology. the tuft of long feathers on the legs of falcons and most hawks; the lengthened feathers on the crus or tibia.

Hunting. the tail of a deer or of a setter dog.

Journalism.

the nameplate of a newspaper.
masthead(def 1).
the name of a newspaper as printed on the editorial page.

a tab or tag attached to a page, file card, etc., to mark it for attention.

Music. hook¹(def 12a).

Movies, Television. a small gobo.

Usually flags. the ends of the bristles of a brush, especially a paintbrush, when split.

Computers. a symbol, value, or other means of identifying data of interest, or of informing later parts of a program what conditions earlier parts have encountered.

verb (used with object), flagged, flag·ging.

to place a flag or flags over or on; decorate with flags.

to signal or warn (a person, automobile, etc.) with or as if with a flag (sometimes followed by down): to flag a taxi; to flag down a passing car.

to communicate (information) by or as if by a flag.

to decoy, as game, by waving a flag or the like to excite attention or curiosity.

to mark (a page in a book, file card, etc.) for attention, as by attaching protruding tabs.

(of a brush) to split the ends of the bristles.

Idioms

strike the flag,

to relinquish command, as of a ship.
to submit or surrender: His financial situation is growing worse, but he's not ready to strike the flag.

Also strike one's flag.

Origin of flag

1475–85; perhaps blend of flap (noun) and fag¹ (noun) in obsolete sense “flap”

Related formsflag·ger, nounflag·less, adjective

flag

[flag]

noun

any of various plants with long, sword-shaped leaves, as the sweet flag.

blue flag.

the long, slender leaf of such a plant or of a cereal.

Origin of flag

1350–1400; Middle English flagge

flag

[flag]

verb (used without object), flagged, flag·ging.

to fall off in vigor, energy, activity, interest, etc.: Public enthusiasm flagged when the team kept losing.

to hang loosely or limply; droop.

Origin of flag

1535–45; perhaps blend of of flap (v.) and fag¹ (v.) in obsolete sense “to droop”. See flag¹

Synonyms for flag

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR flag ON THESAURUS.COM

1. dwindle, wilt, slump, sag, wane.

flag

⁴

[flag]

noun

flagstone(def 1).

flags, flagstone(def 2).

verb (used with object), flagged, flag·ging.

to pave with flagstones.

Origin of flag

⁴

1400–50; late Middle English flagge piece of sod; akin to Old Norse flaga slab

Related formsflag·ger, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for flags

emblem, banner, streamer, fade, ebb, wane, sag, abate, languish, deteriorate, indicate, salute, pennon, colors, ensign, jack, standard, droop, wilt, die

Examples from the Web for flags

Contemporary Examples of flags

They filed past hoisting homemade flags, university flags, Mexican flags, flags that said “Ayotzi Vive.”
Mexican Protesters Look to Start a New Revolution
Jason McGahan
November 21, 2014
Islamists stood next to communists waving Palestinian flags and hurling insults at Israeli officials.
A New Intifada? Israel’s Arab Citizen Uprising Spreads
Creede Newton
November 10, 2014
Every other day, you would see demonstrations and Kurdish flags along side flags of the Syrian revolution.
Remembering Kobani Before The Siege
Mustafa Abdi, Movements.Org, Advancing Human Rights
November 8, 2014
So I hope for an Independence Day in my lifetime when we will see zero shivering little bodies hawking our flags.
Kailash Satyarthi, Malala's Nobel Peace Prize Co-Winner, Is Fighting India's Child Slavery Epidemic
Dilip D’Souza
October 11, 2014
Russian and Ukrainian flags waved together in the hands of the demonstrators.
Thousands of Russians March to End the War in Ukraine—and Topple Putin
Anna Nemtsova
September 21, 2014

Historical Examples of flags

At Gawler we were received by a crowd of people, and flags were flying to do us honour.
Explorations in Australia
John Forrest
The route she was to follow was marked by a line of buoys and flags.
Heroes of the Telegraph
J. Munro
Flags were flying from the little church and the telegraph station on shore.
Heroes of the Telegraph
J. Munro
We raised our flags and exchanged our farewells and Godspeeds with him.
The Long Labrador Trail
Dillon Wallace
Every house was hung with red and bedecked with flags and mottoes.
The Prisoner of Zenda
Anthony Hope

British Dictionary definitions for flags

flags

pl n

rare the long feathers on the leg of a hawk or falcon

flag

noun

a piece of cloth, esp bunting, often attached to a pole or staff, decorated with a design and used as an emblem, symbol, or standard or as a means of signalling

a small paper flag, emblem, or sticker sold on flag days

computing an indicator, that may be set or unset, used to indicate a condition or to stimulate a particular reaction in the execution of a computer program

informal short for flag officer, flagship

journalism another name for masthead (def. 2)

the fringe of long hair, tapering towards the tip, on the underside of the tail of certain breeds of dog, such as setters

the conspicuously marked tail of a deer

a less common name for bookmark

Australian and NZ the part of a taximeter that is raised when a taxi is for hire

the pennant-shaped pattern that is formed when a price fluctuation is plotted on a chart, interrupting the steady rise or fall that precedes and then follows it

the flag (in Victoria, Australia) the Australian Rules premiership

fly the flag to represent or show support for one's country, an organization, etc

show the flag

to assert a claim, as to a territory or stretch of water, by military presence
informalto be present; make an appearance

strike the flag or lower the flag

to relinquish command, esp of a ship
to submit or surrender

verb flags, flagging or flagged (tr)

to decorate or mark with a flag or flags

(often foll by down) to warn or signal (a vehicle) to stop

to send or communicate (messages, information, etc) by flag

to decoy (game or wild animals) by waving a flag or similar object so as to attract their attention

to mark (a page in a book, card, etc) for attention by attaching a small tab or flag

mainly Australian to draw attention to (something)

(foll by away or by) NZ to consider unimportant; brush aside

Word Origin for flag

C16: of uncertain origin

flag

verb flags, flagging or flagged (intr)

to hang down; become limp; droop

to decline in strength or vigour; become weak or tired

Word Origin for flag

C16: of unknown origin

flag

noun

any of various plants that have long swordlike leaves, esp the iris Iris pseudacorus (yellow flag)

the leaf of any such plant

Word Origin for flag

C14: probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Dutch flag, Danish flæg yellow iris

flag

⁴

noun

short for flagstone

verb flags, flagging or flagged

(tr) to furnish (a floor) with flagstones

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

Word Origin and History for flags

flag

n.2

"flat, split stone," c.1600, earlier "piece cut from turf or sod" (mid-15c.), from Old Norse flaga "stone slab," perhaps related to Old Norse flak (see flake (n.)).

flag

n.3

aquatic plant, late 14c., "reed, rush," perhaps from a Scandinavian source (cf. Danish flæg "yellow iris") or Dutch flag; perhaps ultimately connected to flag (v.) on notion of "fluttering in the breeze."

flag

n.1

"cloth ensign," late 15c., now in all modern Germanic languages, but apparently first recorded in English, origin unknown, but likely connected with flag (v.) or else, like it, perhaps imitative. A less likely guess is that it is from the flag in flagstone on notion of being square and flat. U.S. Flag Day (1894) is in reference to the adopting of the Stars and Stripes by the Continental Congress on June 14, 1777.

flag

1540s, "flap about loosely," perhaps a variant of Middle English flakken, flacken "to flap, flutter" (late 14c.), probably from Old Norse flakka "to flicker, flutter," perhaps imitative of something flapping lazily in the wind.

Sense of "go limp, droop" is first recorded 1610s. Meaning "to designate as someone who will not be served more liquor" is from 1980s, probably from use of flags to signal trains, etc., to halt, which led to the verb in this sense (1856, American English). Related: Flagged; flagging.