flak
Americannoun
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antiaircraft fire, especially as experienced by the crews of combat airplanes at which the fire is directed.
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criticism; hostile reaction; abuse.
Such an unpopular decision is bound to draw a lot of flak from the press.
noun
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anti-aircraft fire or artillery
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informal a great deal of adverse criticism
Etymology
Origin of flak
1935–40; < German Fl ( ieger ) a ( bwehr ) k ( anone ) antiaircraft gun, equivalent to Flieger aircraft (literally, flyer) + Abwehr defense + Kanone gun, cannon
Explanation
If you’re taking flak, chances are you’re in a bad situation and taking fire from an enemy. Flak can refer to criticism — or worse, explosive shells from an antiaircraft weapon. Flak came into English as an abbreviation for the German word Fliegerabwehrkanone, meaning 'aircraft-defense gun.' (Yikes! No wonder they abbreviated it.) If you’re dealing with a lot of flak, you’re either in a fighter plane over enemy territory drawing shots, or you’re dealing with a volley of criticism that seems like antiaircraft fire. If you show up late for work for a third day, you’ll probably take some flak from your coworkers — they’ll take verbal shots at you.
Vocabulary lists containing flak
The Things They Carried
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Fallen Angels
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Unit 4: Powerful Openings
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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.
Peter Bendix, the Marlins’ president of baseball operations, says the team’s catchers “probably took a lot of flak from their peers” because they weren’t calling pitches anymore.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026
Microsoft is among the data-center developers catching flak for lofty capital expenditures in the face of the data-center buildout.
From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026
"We need to stop having conversations and start doing something as parents get a lot of flak but everyone is trying their best."
From BBC • Mar. 22, 2026
His comments about the New York Fed researchers needing to be “disciplined,” meanwhile, drew flak from respected economists including Claudia Sahm.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 18, 2026
“What bombs?” answered Yossarian, whose only concern had been the flak.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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.
