Synonyms

flexed

American

[flekst] / flɛkst /

adjective

bent or contracted, as a part of the body.

When roller skating, a low posture and slightly flexed knees will help your stability.
Heraldry. (of a human leg) depicted as bent at the knee.

verb

the simple past tense and past participle of flex.

Other Word Forms

unflexed adjective

Etymology

Origin of flexed

First recorded in 1515–25; flex ¹ + -ed ² for the adjective senses; flex ¹ + -ed ¹ for the verb sense

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.

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

Less than a year after their viral NPR Tiny Desk, the notoriously kooky duo flexed their ability to slip between genres.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 24, 2025

China has spent decades building up its dominance in global rare-earth mining and processing, giving Beijing significant leverage that it has flexed this year.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 9, 2025

She flexed her fingers, and he flexed his claws.

From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023