a coarse, open fabric of worsted or cotton for flags, signals, etc.
patriotic and festive decorations made from such cloth, or from paper, usually in the form of draperies, wide streamers, etc., in the colors of the national flag.
flags, especially a vessel's flags, collectively.
a coarse, loosely woven cotton fabric used for flags, etc
decorative flags, pennants, and streamers
flags collectively, esp those of a boat
First recorded in 1735–45; origin uncertain; perhaps originally “cloth for sifting,” hence the verb bunt “to sift,” from Middle English bonten + -ing 1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English bunting, bounting, buntyle; further origin unknown
First recorded in 1920–25; special use of bunting 1
Bunting is a type of loosely woven fabric with a specific purpose: making flags. When you salute a flag, you're saluting bunting. Who knew? Bunting is known for two main features: it is loosely woven, and it is used primarily in making flags. Bunting is strong enough to last, but versatile enough to be perfect in making the intricate designs many flags feature. Before it becomes a flag, bunting makes for splendid decoration when hung or draped festively. Bunting is also a synonym for flag.
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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.
In Havana's leafy middle-class Vedado neighborhood, pints at a dollar a pop were flowing at a watch party in a cultural center festooned with a Brazil flag and World Cup bunting.
From Barron's ● Jun. 14, 2026
There will always be those hardiest of Caddyshack souls prepared to battle 40mph winds and driving rain, bunting their ball down muddy fairways and putting across soaked greens.
From BBC ● Mar. 21, 2026
Santa Margarita’s Brody Schumaker, who had eight bunt singles last season, will be asked by his father, Skip, the new manager of the Texas Rangers, to show off his bunting skills at spring training.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 31, 2025
Nile, though, is unencumbered by empathy, guilt, or the urge for compromise, a mile-long bunting of red flags spooled into one cashmere-clad creep.
From Salon ● Nov. 19, 2025
Pushing and bunting about the family warmth of our pot-bellied stove.
From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
Littler will play the winner of the final second-round match on Tuesday between Josh Rock and Stephen Bunting.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
Victory moves Bunting above Gian van Veen and Michael van Gerwen to secure a fifth-place finish in the final standings.
From BBC ● May 21, 2026
Elsewhere in the tournament, world number two Luke Humphries exited in the third round 6-5 to Max Hopp, while Premier League Darts players Stephen Bunting and Josh Rock fell in the first round.
From BBC ● Apr. 27, 2026
Bunting means willingly giving up one of your 27 outs, the most precious resource that exists in the game.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026
“It was only when her wards left the loop that they were killed and Miss Bunting kidnapped. If they’d only stayed put, nothing bad would’ve happened.”
From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs
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.
