Dictionary.com

flake out

Save This Word!

verb (intr, adverb)
informal to collapse or fall asleep as through extreme exhaustion
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?
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

How to use flake out in a sentence

Other Idioms and Phrases with flake out

flake out

1

Drop from exhaustion, faint. For example, After running the marathon, be simply flaked out on the ground. This expression possibly is derived from a now obsolete meaning of flake, “to become flabby or fall in folds.” [Slang; c. 1940]

2

Lie down, go to sleep, as in Homeless persons flaked out in doorways. [Slang; early 1940s]

3

Lose one's nerve, as in Please don't flake out now. [Slang; 1950s]

4

Go crazy; also, cause someone to go crazy. For example, She just flaked out and we had to call an ambulance, or This project is flaking us out. The usages in def. 3 and 4 probably are derived from the adjective flaky, meaning “eccentric.” [c. 1970]

5

Die, as in He flaked out last night. [1960s]

6

Surprise, astonish, as in She said she'd just been made a partner, and that flaked me out. This usage appears to be a variant of freak out. [c. 1970]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
FEEDBACK