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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Dance - Introductory
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Lemonade War
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
With a little research and preparation, a party can be the perfect opportunity to flex your culinary muscles, experiment with something new and have fun doing it.
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026
These two stories might seem like unrelated novelties — a viral toy and a tech-bro flex from a provincial government.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 22, 2026
It’s definitely, for me, a new muscle that I’m learning to use and explore and stretch and flex.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2026
Even Myers acknowledges that a key challenge in apparel is that it is "high flex" – in other words, you won't get very far if you just make white t-shirts.
From BBC ● May 18, 2026
He began to flex his hand, opening and closing the fingers.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
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 key question for investors here is how structural the cost pressures are as the company flexes into this next leg of growth,” the analysts say, maintaining their $450 price target and overweight rating.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026
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
That’s the only way to explain how its bodybuilding exhibitions look like Shakespeare performances, with balconies of people applauding nonstop as a soloist flexes onstage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 21, 2025
He flexes his biceps, And apples show up in his arms.
From "Neighborhood Odes" by Gary Soto
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
The Mets made an unexpected run to the National League Championship Series in 2024 and then flexed their economic might by giving Soto a record-setting $765 million free-agent contract a couple of months later.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
Last year, it flexed its economic and diplomatic muscle, responding to Trump with tit-for-tat tariffs and restricting the export of rare earth minerals essential for advanced manufacturing.
From BBC ● May 14, 2026
It was not until Arteta flexed his strength in depth off the bench in the second period that Forest began to be stretched.
From Barron's ● Jan. 17, 2026
Peter flexed his shoulders, swooped his arms, but the bird only lurched a few strokes and then fell as if it had been shot.
From "Pax" by Sara Pennypacker
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
This repeated flexing generates internal heat through friction, a process known as tidal heating.
From Science Daily ● May 29, 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
He delights in his mastery of the battlefield, military or civilian, flexing his psychological muscles with a sociopath’s defiant swagger.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 26, 2026
He stood in front of Matt, flexing his hands as though he had to keep them under control.
From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer
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.
