flanker

[ flang-ker ]

/ ˈflæŋ kər /

Save This Word!

noun

a person or thing that flanks.

Military. one of a body of soldiers placed on the flank of an army to guard a line of march.

Fortification. a fortification projecting so as to defend another work or to command the flank of an assailing body.

Football.

Also called flank·er·back . an offensive back who lines up outside of an end.
split end.

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?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of flanker

First recorded in 1540–50; flank + -er¹

Words nearby flanker

flange coupling, flanged rail, flangeway, flank, flanken, flanker, flank speed, flannel, flannelboard, flannel cake, flannelet

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use flanker in a sentence

The only reason Bareman started fighting was because he had washed out as a rugby flanker and he wanted to get back in shape so he could return to rugby.
The Man Behind One of the Baddest Men Alive|Eugene Robinson|November 13, 2020|Ozy
Presumably, it was part of a flanker for a formal outdoor stair or steps (fig. 39).
The Cultural History of Marlborough, Virginia|C. Malcolm Watkins
I would send one man as a left flanker to follow the west bank of Sandy Creek.
Manual of Military Training|James A. Moss
The great flanker, or round tower, at the west end of the line was twenty-nine feet high.
Nooks and Corners of the New England Coast|Samuel Adams Drake

What a sin it would be to spoil a fellow cut out for a flanker; and on a shoulder intended to carry a grenade, to hang a surplice.
The Fortunes of Hector O'Halloran, And His Man Mark Antony O'Toole|W. H. Maxwell

British Dictionary definitions for flanker

flanker

/ (ˈflæŋkə) /

noun

one of a detachment of soldiers detailed to guard the flanks, esp of a formation

a projecting fortification, used esp to protect or threaten a flank

rugby a wing forward

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