fluke

[ flook ]

See synonyms for fluke on Thesaurus.com

noun

the part of an anchor that catches in the ground, especially the flat triangular piece at the end of each arm.
a barb, or the barbed head, of a harpoon, spear, arrow, or the like.

either half of the triangular tail of a whale.

Origin of fluke

First recorded in 1555–65; perhaps special use of fluke³

Words Nearby fluke

Other definitions for fluke (2 of 3)

fluke²

[ flook ]

noun

an accidental advantage; stroke of good luck: He got the job by a fluke.
an accident or chance happening.

an accidentally successful stroke, as in billiards.

Origin of fluke

First recorded in 1855–60; of obscure origin; compare English dialect fluke “a guess”

Other definitions for fluke (3 of 3)

fluke³

[ flook ]

noun

any of several American flounders of the genus Paralichthys, especially P. dentatus, found in the Atlantic Ocean.
any of various other flatfishes.

a trematode.

Origin of fluke

First recorded before 900; Middle English flok, fluke, flewke, Old English flōc; cognate with Old Norse flōki; compare Old High German flah “flat” (German flach )

Other words from fluke

flukeless, adjective

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

How to use fluke in a sentence

Still, DoorDash must prove that its growth during the pandemic was no fluke.
Citron calls this the ‘most ridiculous’ IPO of 2020 | Lee Clifford | December 17, 2020 | Fortune
In 1989 a meteorological fluke helped Ken Lohmann, a biologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, confirm that hatchlings use waves as a guide.
How Sea Turtles Find Their Way - Issue 94: Evolving | Jason G. Goldman | December 16, 2020 | Nautilus
These were not flukes, either — San Diego and Chicago finished the season ranked Nos.
What To Watch For In The Wildest MLB Playoffs Ever | Neil Paine (neil.paine@fivethirtyeight.com) | September 28, 2020 | FiveThirtyEight
Republicans think Brindisi’s win was a fluke, and now he has a record they can wield to try to pin him as a standard Democrat.
The House seats most likely to flip in November | Amber Phillips | September 25, 2020 | Washington Post
For me, that is a lot of similar results for this to be a fluke.
I’m an epidemiologist and a dad. Here’s why I think schools should reopen. | Benjamin P. Linas | July 9, 2020 | Vox

In 1989, a newly registered Republican in Louisiana named David Duke won his only election by a fluke.
The Louisiana Racists Who Courted Steve Scalise | Jason Berry | January 3, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
It was a cheer that we got for something that was a complete fluke.
‘No Regrets’: Peter Jackson Says Goodbye to Middle-Earth | Alex Suskind | December 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
“Sandra fluke Aborts Congressional Bid,” read another headline on Breitbart after fluke opted to run instead for the state Senate.
Sandra Fluke, Still Under Attack, Heads to California General Election | Olivia Nuzzi | June 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
From the moment the word was out that fluke was considering a run for office, she was the subject of right-wing side-eye.
Sandra Fluke, Still Under Attack, Heads to California General Election | Olivia Nuzzi | June 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Having her as our guest was a fluke of Divine Order and a true example of Ask and You shall receive.
Common: Maya Angelou ‘Touched My Soul’ | Common | May 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
We anchored on the north side of the former, but broke the fluke, from the rocky nature of the bottom.
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia] [Volume 2 of 2] | Phillip Parker King
(a) Flatworms are sometimes parasitic, examples being the tapeworm and liver fluke.
A Civic Biology | George William Hunter
Such is seen in the life history of the liver fluke, a flatworm which kills sheep, and in the tapeworm.
A Civic Biology | George William Hunter
If I thought he meant the boy any harm he'd get his nose rove foul in the shake of a fluke.
Belford's Magazine, Vol. II, No. 3, February 1889 | Various
fluke worms, therefore, can never be regarded as a cause of rot, they must be looked upon merely as a symptom.
A Treatise on Sheep: | Ambrose Blacklock

British Dictionary definitions for fluke (1 of 3)

fluke¹

/ (fluːk) /

noun

Also called: flue a flat bladelike projection at the end of the arm of an anchor
either of the two lobes of the tail of a whale or related animal

Also called: flue the barb or barbed head of a harpoon, arrow, etc

Origin of fluke

C16: perhaps a special use of fluke ³ (in the sense: a flounder)

British Dictionary definitions for fluke (2 of 3)

fluke²

/ (fluːk) /

noun

an accidental stroke of luck
any chance happening

verb

(tr) to gain, make, or hit by a fluke

Origin of fluke

C19: of unknown origin

British Dictionary definitions for fluke (3 of 3)

fluke³

/ (fluːk) /

noun

any parasitic flatworm, such as the blood fluke and liver fluke, of the classes Monogenea and Digenea (formerly united in a single class Trematoda)
another name for flounder 2 (def. 1)

Origin of fluke

Old English flōc; related to Old Norse flōki flounder, Old Saxon flaka sole, Old High German flah smooth

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 fluke

fluke

[ flōōk ]

Either of the two flattened fins of a whale's tail.

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