flint

[ flint ]

/ flɪnt /

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noun

a hard stone, a form of silica resembling chalcedony but more opaque, less pure, and less lustrous.

a piece of this, especially as used for striking fire.

a chunk of this used as a primitive tool or as the core from which such a tool was struck.

something very hard or unyielding.

a small piece of metal, usually an iron alloy, used to produce a spark to ignite the fuel in a cigarette lighter.

verb (used with object)

to furnish with flint.

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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.

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Origin of flint

before 900; Middle English, Old English; cognate with Middle Dutch vlint,Danish flint;cf. plinth

OTHER WORDS FROM flint

flintlike, adjective

Words nearby flint

Flinders Range, fling, flinger, fling oneself at someone, fling (throw) down the gauntlet, flint, flint corn, flint glass, flinthead, flintlock, Flintoff

Other definitions for flint (2 of 2)

Flint

[ flint ]

/ flɪnt /

noun

Austin, 1812–86, U.S. physician: founder of Bellevue and Buffalo medical colleges.

his son, Austin, 1836–1915, U.S. physiologist and physician.

a city in SE Michigan.

Flintshire.

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

How to use flint in a sentence

For more than an hour, they were all sitting there around the bedside — Flint, his wife and his sister-in-law.
So You Got Vaccinated … And Then You Got COVID. Now What?|Maggie Koerth (maggie.koerth-baker@fivethirtyeight.com)|February 23, 2021|FiveThirtyEight
Reyes, a Flint native who leads We the People Michigan, was expecting this.
The Secret History of the Shadow Campaign That Saved the 2020 Election|Molly Ball|February 4, 2021|Time
Criminal charges and a class-action settlement may seem like the last chapter in Flint’s story, which has already begun to fade in public memory.
The Unfinished Business of Flint’s Water Crisis|by Anna Clark|January 22, 2021|ProPublica
He admits that Flint used to be just “another town through which I’ve passed free of claim.”
In ‘Standpipe,’ David Hardin offers poignant, fleeting reflections on the Flint water crisis|Kerri Arsenault|January 21, 2021|Washington Post

We must remember that the Flint water crisis is not some relic of the past.
Ex-Michigan governor indicted for “willful neglect” in Flint water crisis|Jon Brodkin|January 14, 2021|Ars Technica
“If you are a waiter, you can make twice as much in Austin relative to Flint,” remarked Moretti.
The Rustbelt Roars Back From the Dead|Joel Kotkin, Richey Piiparinen|December 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That side is volunteering extensively in his hometown of Flint, and recently, pastoring Charity United Methodist Church.
A Black Cop’s Tough Words for Mike Brown|Mary M. Chapman|December 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The third eaglet was never found despite a search by the Flint Creek volunteers and the landowner.
He Faces Jail for Rescuing Baby Eagles|Michael Daly|November 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Born in Flint, Michigan, Bragman says he was a “fat gay Jewish kid… who grew up to be a Martian.”
How Howard Bragman Orchestrated Michael Sam’s Coming Out|Itay Hod|March 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Either way, a whistle, just a flint of music, rang out that Sunday.
From Emmett Till to Jordan Davis, a Foolish, Lethal Fear of Black Teens|Joshua DuBois|February 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When the men worked on their flint points, Fleetfoot liked to play near the workshop.
The Later Cave-Men|Katharine Elizabeth Dopp
While the men struck off large flint flakes, Fleetfoot played not far away.
The Later Cave-Men|Katharine Elizabeth Dopp
Straightshaft let him try, but Fleetfoot was not strong enough to press off hard flint flakes.
The Later Cave-Men|Katharine Elizabeth Dopp
Can you think of any way of removing little pieces of flint besides striking them off?
The Later Cave-Men|Katharine Elizabeth Dopp
Scarface always used flakes of flint for the points of spears and javelins.
The Later Cave-Men|Katharine Elizabeth Dopp

British Dictionary definitions for flint (1 of 2)

flint

/ (flɪnt) /

noun

an impure opaque microcrystalline greyish-black form of quartz that occurs in chalk. It produces sparks when struck with steel and is used in the manufacture of pottery, flint glass, and road-construction materials. Formula: SiO 2

any piece of flint, esp one used as a primitive tool or for striking fire

a small cylindrical piece of an iron alloy, used in cigarette lighters

Also called: flint glass, white flint colourless glass other than plate glass

See optical flint

verb

(tr) to fit or provide with a flint

Word Origin for flint

Old English; related to Old High German flins, Old Swedish flinta splinter of stone, Latin splendēre to shine

British Dictionary definitions for flint (2 of 2)

Flint

/ (flɪnt) /

noun

a town in NE Wales, in Flintshire, on the Dee estuary. Pop: 11 936 (2001)

a city in SE Michigan: closure of the car production plants led to a high level of unemployment. Pop: 120 292 (2003 est)

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

Scientific definitions for flint

flint

[ flĭnt ]

A very hard, gray to black variety of chalcedony that makes sparks when it is struck with steel. It breaks with a conchoidal fracture.

The dark gray to black variety of chert.