flex
verb (used with object)
to bend, as a part of the body.
flex
1 American
[fleks]
/ flɛks /
verb (used with object)
-
flexes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
flexed,
past participle, past
-
flexing
present participle
-
to bend, as a part of the body.
He flexed his arms to show off his muscles.
-
to tighten (a muscle) by contraction.
-
to demonstrate (one’s ability, expertise, etc.).
She’s flexed her marketing skills for various clients in the publishing industry.
-
Slang. to boast or brag about; flaunt.
He’s just not into flexing his success.
verb (used without object)
-
flexes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
flexed,
past participle, past
-
flexing
present participle
-
to bend.
-
Slang. to boast or brag; show off.
In his rap lyrics he flexes about his fancy lifestyle.
noun
-
flexes
plural
-
the act of flexing.
-
Slang. a boast or brag.
It's not a flex, but we have the best burgers here.
-
British.
-
any flexible, insulated electric cord; an electric cord or extension cord.
-
Slang. an elastic band, as a garter.
-
-
Mathematics. an inflection point.
verb phrase
flex
2
American
[fleks]
/ flɛks /
adjective
flex-
3
American
Also
flexi-.
flex
British
/ flɛks /
noun
-
US and Canadian name: cord. a flexible insulated electric cable, used esp to connect appliances to mains
-
informal flexibility or pliability
verb
-
to bend or be bent
he flexed his arm
his arm flexed
-
to contract (a muscle) or (of a muscle) to contract
-
(intr) to work according to flexitime
-
to test or display (one's authority or strength)
Usage
What else does flex mean? Flex is a slang term meaning "to show off," whether it be your physique, your belongings, or some other thing you consider superior to those of others. The act of flexing is often criticized as a power move, considered arrogant and insincere.
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
flexsimple
-
flexessimple
-
have flexedperfect
-
has flexedperfect
-
am flexingprogressive
-
are flexingprogressive
-
is flexingprogressive
-
have been flexingperfect progressive
-
has been flexingperfect progressive
Past
-
flexedsimple
-
had flexedperfect
-
was flexingprogressive
-
were flexingprogressive
-
had been flexingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of flex1
First recorded in 1515–25; (adjective) from Latin flexus, past participle of flectere “to bend, turn”; (noun) from Latin flexus act of bending, equivalent to flect(ere) + -tus suffix of verbal action
Origin of flex2
Shortening of flexible
Explanation
When you flex something, you bend or contract it. To appear super tough, you might flex your archery bow while flexing your muscles. Things curve and bend when they flex, whether they're human joints or objects made of a bendable material like plastic or soft wood. Another way to flex is to tense or contract a muscle: "The weightlifter flexes her biceps." Experts suspect that flexible came first, from the Latin root flexibilis, "flexible, pliant, or yielding," and figuratively, "tractable, or easily influenced."
Vocabulary lists containing flex
Strike A Pose: Positions and Posture
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Dance - Introductory
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The Lemonade War
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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.
See Examples For:
Although Zuckerberg said the move would flex "a different muscle than we've historically had", he said the financial opportunity was too big to ignore.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
“A lot of the state litigation is, honestly, symbolic,” she said, noting it’s how states can flex their limited power over this uniquely federal policy area.
From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026
Mozeliak said the Angels should not consider a trade proposal in isolation, without considering how to flex their major-market muscles to fill whatever hole a trade might create.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
That includes the walls, which can flex to instantly turn small offices into larger conference rooms, the finish of a large conference table and planting dozens of trees on the property.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
Now and then the room blurred and a slight giddiness came over him; but his muscles would flex taut and it would pass.
From "Native Son" by Richard Wright
Better day care, plentiful jobs at decent wages, flex- time and job sharing would all help to reduce the stresses on American households, which are overtaxed, overburdened and overwhelmed.
From Time Magazine Archive
The very exercise of the penalty kick strips away many parts of the game where Messi usually flexes his genius.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
The tensions come as the Google-owned television service flexes its market muscle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2025
He flexes his metatarsal bones to indicate where he wants a subordinate to sit.
From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2025
The duo mirroring Hulk Hogan-style underarm bicep flexes after winning their semi-final was one of the defining images.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2025
He flexes his right wrist and I notice that his hand is bandaged.
From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon
At a reported £17m for the pair, Celtic have flexed their fiscal muscle.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
Except for when passengers, after taking turns at rigging, filed below deck to explore the ship’s white-oak skeleton, which flexed and creaked in the current—the ancient sounds of a seafaring world that’s all but lost.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
Of the new contract, the NHS spokesperson said its value had been calculated based on the rate of new claims received - and could "be flexed" if that changes.
From BBC ● Feb. 18, 2026
Those calls grew louder when China flexed its muscles last year by stepping up curbs on exports of rare earth minerals, and later temporarily halted exports of Nexperia semiconductors, alarming the German auto sector.
From Barron's ● Feb. 12, 2026
We flexed our fingers "for the circulation" and worked ourselves into quite a state of calisthenic frenzy.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
“They’re just flexing the trip rather than not going on the trip.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026
There’s the Total Wireless Weigh-In, which allows fans to take shirtless pictures of themselves flexing the way fighters do at weigh-in the day before they fight.
From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2026
Labor economists and union supporters said union victories in New York City could be hard to replicate elsewhere, but across the country unions have been flexing a bit more muscle in recent years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026
Meanwhile, Orpin’s muscular flexing in Soames’ fitted T-shirts rivals anything Jeremy Allen White serves in “The Bear.”
From Salon ● Mar. 28, 2026
She examined her hands, flexing them like Spider-Man did whenever he started shooting out webs.
From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi
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.
