white flag

American

noun

an all-white banner or piece of cloth, used as a symbol of surrender or truce.

idioms

hoist / show / wave the white flag, to give up; weaken; yield.

white flag British

noun

a white flag or a piece of white cloth hoisted to signify surrender or request a truce

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

white-flag

adjective

Etymology

Origin of white flag

First recorded in 1590–1600

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.

After a week-long pause in the case, Bloom returned to court to wave a white flag Tuesday afternoon.

From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026

In short, they are waving the white flag on the idea of predicting when the war will end and the oil will flow.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026

It’s the perfect accompaniment to the sight of Harper and Yasmin, dancing together at a club, relieved to have waved the white flag, at least for tonight.

From Salon • Mar. 1, 2026

Guardiola appeared to waive the white flag as he replaced Erling Haaland 10 minutes from time to reserve the Norwegian's energy with City still fighting in four competitions.

From Barron's • Jan. 17, 2026

We could see the white flag from half a mile away.

From "The Last Olympian" by Rick Riordan

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