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.
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.
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
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)
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.
before 900; Middle English, Old English; cognate with Middle Dutch vlint, Danish flint; cf. plinth
Flint is a very hard type of rock. Ever since humans first learned to make tools, back in the Stone Age, they've used flint. Through history, flint has been used for sharp tools, in walls and buildings, for making sparks to start fires, and in jewelry and pottery. You can also use the word figuratively, to mean a quality of hardness or even cruelty in a someone's personality: "The flint in his nature made him unsympathetic even to the most pitiful crying child."
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Boxgrove has been extensively excavated, and researchers have uncovered many tools made from flint, bone and antler there.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 2026
The team used it to successfully haft two flint arrowheads to wooden handles.
From Science Magazine ● Nov. 22, 2024
You have to be particular about muzzle-loading a flintlock and making sure the flint is in place.
From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2024
Most of the clues come as pottery, flint tools and bones.
From New York Times ● Mar. 19, 2024
The kindling of twigs and pine needles was lit with a spark from a flint stone, and when the fire was well on its way, the door of the kiln was sealed.
From "A Single Shard" by Linda Sue Park
The American Axle plant also supplies GM’s Oshawa, Ontario, truck plant, which assembles heavy-duty Silverados in addition to those made in Flint.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 1, 2026
Joe Flint is a media and entertainment reporter for The Wall Street Journal based in the Los Angeles bureau, covering everything from broadcast networks and sports to cable and streaming.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026
Pete Hawkins, aged 17 at the time, was working nearby with the son of foreman Jim Flint.
From BBC ● Apr. 25, 2026
When I spoke to the UK's Fraud Minister, Lord Hanson of Flint, he told me punishing countries for refusing or failing to cooperate on tackling scams could be counterproductive.
From BBC ● Apr. 18, 2026
“They’re all wondering where I am, of course. Many I don’t even know are wondering. It’s certainly gotten around that Abelard Hassam di Chirico Flint, of the Mossville Flints, is missing.”
From "Abel's Island" by William Steig
She said: "While sitting and chatting we realised the flints we were sitting on were extremely hot... some thoughtless, careless people had just buried three disposable BBQs which were still glowing red! Absolutely disgusting behaviour!"
From BBC ● May 31, 2026
In the chemical industry, cerium is widely used in oil refining and glass polishing -- as well as in flints for cigarette lighters.
From Barron's ● Feb. 4, 2026
Although the electric drills used today are a far cry from the handheld flints and metal tools used thousands of years ago, the objective — making a hole in the skull — is the same.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 14, 2023
Whereas Neanderthal flints are largely unique, with differing textures and morphology, Homo sapiens crafted more standardized flints, Dr. Slimak said.
From New York Times ● Feb. 9, 2022
“Jubilee, I think this is some of your best work. Louisa May Alcott said, ‘It takes two flints to make a fire.’
From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry
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.
