flak jacket

American

noun

U.S. Air Force. an armored garment made of steel plates covered by a padded fabric, designed to protect vital parts of the body from shrapnel.
a protective vest, especially one that is bulletproof.

flak jacket British

noun

a reinforced sleeveless jacket for protection against gunfire or shrapnel worn by soldiers, policemen, etc

"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

Etymology

Origin of flak jacket

First recorded in 1955–60

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.

See Examples For:

flak jacket

Wine, who has been repeatedly arrested in the past, campaigned in a flak jacket, saying the race has become a "war".

From Barron's ● Jan. 12, 2026

He reportedly was wearing a flak jacket with “press” on it.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 25, 2023

My children visit me when I'm working - they put on my flak jacket, my helmet, and we laugh together.

From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2023

Salem, still wearing a protective flak jacket, picked up his wife, Khawla, and drove in his armoured vehicle to Gaza City’s Al-Sahaba hospital.

From Reuters ● Oct. 12, 2023

Gearhart had his head up, his flak jacket was open.

From "Fallen Angels" by Walter Dean Myers

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023