flask
1 Americannoun
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a bottle, usually of glass, having a rounded body and a narrow neck, used especially in laboratory experimentation.
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a flat metal or glass bottle for carrying in the pocket.
a flask of brandy.
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an iron container for shipping mercury, holding a standard commercial unit of 76 pounds (34 kilograms).
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Metallurgy. a container into which sand is rammed around a pattern to form a mold.
noun
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the armored plates making up the sides of a gun-carriage trail.
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Obsolete. the bed of a gun carriage.
noun
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a bottle with a narrow neck, esp used in a laboratory or for wine, oil, etc
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Also called: hip flask. a small flattened container of glass or metal designed to be carried in a pocket, esp for liquor
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See powder flask
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a container packed with sand to form a mould in a foundry
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See vacuum flask
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Also called: cask, coffin. engineering a container used for transporting irradiated nuclear fuel
Etymology
Origin of flask1
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English: “cask, keg,” from Anglo-French, Old French flaske, Late Latin flasca, earlier flascō, of uncertain origin; compare Old English flasce, flaxe, Old High German flasca ( German flasche ); cf. flagon
Origin of flask2
1570–80; < dialectal French flasque cheek of a gun carriage < Late Latin flasca flask 1
Explanation
A flask is a small container that holds a liquid. Most flasks have a squarish body and a small neck for drinking or pouring. Don't try sneaking a flask into your tube sock. There are several different kinds of flasks, including a "hip flask," small enough to fit in a pocket, for carrying and surreptitiously sipping alcoholic beverages. Chemists use another type of flask in the laboratory, which has a wide bottom and a small mouth and is made of glass. And in Britain, a flask is also a vacuum-sealed container that keeps drinks hot, usually called a "Thermos" in the US.
Vocabulary lists containing flask
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.
But if those particles are collected inside a flask, they form a dense suspension of burned tobacco -- a tar-like sludge.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026
In a university laboratory, the 29-year-old proudly showed AFP a flask containing a precious yellow liquid.
From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026
"You wouldn't put holes in your flask if you wanted to keep the ice in. You'd close the cap and make sure it is firmly twisted on. It's the same in this house."
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Dollar Signs: I’m dating a guy who asks me to pay for most dates — and brings a flask to bars to save money.
From MarketWatch ● May 18, 2026
He holds the flask out to me with one gray-green clawed hand.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
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.
