flag

FLAG/flæɡ/

Pluralflags

Verbflags, flagging, flagged

36 meanings of flag

Practice

1
nouncountable or uncountable
A cloth with a special design, or that design, standing for a country or group, or used to signal.
Like a big colorful sign that everyone can see from far away.
They raised the flag to the top of the pole.
Bright flags waved along the parade route.
UsageYou raise or fly a flag. A flag flies in the wind.
Similarbanner, standard
2
draw attentionverbtransitivewith up
To point something out so that other people will notice it.
Like putting a sticky note on a page so you remember it.
Flag anything that looks wrong so we can fix it.
She flagged the email as important.
UsageFlag up a problem: tell people about it. Flag an email: mark it.
Similarmark, highlight, note, identify, tag
Oppositeoverlook, ignore
3
plant markersverbtransitive
To put a flag on something to show that it matters.
Like sticking a little flag in the ground to show where to dig.
Workers flag the spots where pipes run underground.
The crew flagged every hole along the road.
Similarmark, stake, tag, label
Note
4
wave downverbtransitivewith down
To wave at a moving vehicle to make it stop.
Like waving your arm so a car will stop for you.
We had to flag a taxi to get home.
He flagged the driver to pull over.
UsageYou usually flag down a taxi or bus to make it stop.
Similarhail, signal, wave, stop
Note
5
race startnouncountable or uncountable
The waving or dropping of a flag to start a race or other event.
Like a whistle that tells everyone to begin.
At the flag, all the cars raced away from the line.
Everyone waited for the flag to start the race.
Similarstart (entry), signal
6
lose strengthverbintransitive
To slowly lose strength or energy.
Like a phone battery slowly running low.
After hours of work, the team started to flag.
His energy flagged toward the end of the day.
UsageSay your energy or interest flags, or you start to flag.
Similartire, weaken, wane, fade, wilt
Oppositerevive, rally, strengthen, recover
Note
7
nouncountable or uncountable
In computing, an on-or-off setting that records something or changes how a program or command works.
Like a light switch that is either on or off.
The program sets a flag when the file has finished loading.
If the error flag is true, the system stops right away.
UsageA program sets a flag.
Note
8
verbtransitive
To record or signal that something has happened so it can be dealt with.
Like putting a sticky note on something to remind you to look at it.
The program will flag any errors it finds.
The printer flags a paper jam with a small red light.
Similarmark, signal
Note
9
admiral's bannernouncountable or uncountable
On a warship, the special banner that shows an admiral is on board, and sometimes the admiral or the admiral's ship.
Like a special sign on a building that shows the boss is inside.
When the flag rose over the mainmast, the squadron knew the admiral had taken command.
The flag at the top of the mast showed the admiral was aboard.
Note

Less common meanings

10
call a foulverbtransitive
In sports, to punish a player for breaking a rule.
Like a teacher giving you a time-out for breaking a rule.
The referee flagged him for holding.
Officials will flag any player who starts a fight.
UsageSay flagged for + what the player did wrong.
Similarpenalize, call, whistle
11
hang limpverbintransitive
To hang down loosely, soft and limp, instead of staying stiff and straight.
Like a flower bending over when it does not get enough water.
The flowers flagged in the afternoon heat.
Without wind, the sail will flag against the mast.
Similardroop, wilt, sag, flop
Oppositerevive
Note
12
send messagesverbtransitive
To send a message by waving or showing flags.
Like using hand signals to tell someone something from far away.
The sailor flagged a warning to the ship behind them.
Crew members learn to flag short messages across the water.
Similarsignal, semaphore, relay, transmit
13
paving stonenouncountable
A flat piece of stone used to cover a path or floor.
Like a big flat tile, but made of stone.
Each flag on the old garden path was a flat gray stone.
The old path was made of large stone flags.
UsageFlagstone means the same and is clearer.
Similarflagstone, slab, paver
Note
14
lay stonesverbtransitive
To cover a path or floor with flat stone slabs.
Like laying flat stones to make a smooth walking path.
The workers flagged the courtyard with smooth gray stones.
They plan to flag the garden path next spring.
Similarpave
15
iris plantnouncountable or uncountable
A plant with long, narrow leaves shaped like swords, especially the yellow iris.
Like tall grass, but with bright yellow flowers.
A yellow flag bloomed along the edge of the pond.
Yellow flags lined the wet ditch in early summer.
Similariris
Note
16
note hooknouncountable
In music, a little hook on a note's stem that shows how short the note is.
Like a little tail on a note that tells you to play it quickly.
The teacher showed how a flag on the stem makes the note shorter.
Each flag you add cuts the note's length in half.
Similartail, hook
Note
17
nounBritish
A running team game in which each side tries to grab the other side's flag.
18
verbrare
To decorate a place with flags.
19
verbdialectal
To fail a class or a test.
20
noun
A small marker that pops up in a cockpit to warn the pilot of a problem.
21
verb
To point a gun at someone or something you do not mean to shoot.
22
noun
A dark sheet put on a stand to block or shape light on a film set.
23
noun
In video games, a hint that a certain event or ending will happen, set by the story or a character.
24
verb
To lose a chess game because your time runs out, or beat someone because theirs does.
25
noun
The long, feathery tail of some dogs, like setters.
26
noun
In geometry, a list of a shape's faces, one for each dimension, each lying within the next.
27
noun
In math, a list of spaces from zero up to the whole space, each strictly inside the next.
28
nounarchaicUK
A cloth worn over the front of your clothes to keep them clean.
Suppose you try a different tack, / And on the square you flash your flag?
1887, William Ernest Henley, Villon's Straight Tip to All Cross Coves
29
verb
To draw a hunted animal closer by waving a cloth to make it curious.
30
verb
Of a female dog or related animal, to hold her tail aside when ready to mate.
31
verb
To let something droop or become weak.
32
verb
To take away the strength or energy of something.
33
noun
A cut piece of grass with the earth still on it.
34
noun
A hard stone that breaks into flat pieces used for paths.
35
noun
Extra feathers low down on the legs of some owls and hawks.
36
noun
Long feathers that grow on the wings of some hawks.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of flag apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 1–5, 7–10, 12

From Middle English flag. The older origin is not certain. It may come from an old Germanic word for something flat, or it may imitate the fluttering motion.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 4 facts

Flag comes from Middle English flag. en.wiktionary.org
Its earlier origin is uncertain. en.wiktionary.org
A proposed origin is a Germanic word meaning something flat. en.wiktionary.org
An imitative origin associated with fluttering is another proposed explanation. en.wiktionary.org

Meanings 6, 11

Maybe it comes from a form of flack, which meant "to hang loose" and came from Middle English flacken. Or maybe it comes from Old Norse.

Meaning 15

It comes from Middle English flagge. No one is sure where that came from. It may come from a North Germanic language (the group that includes Danish and Swedish). Or it may come from the first meaning of flag, because of the way it moves in the wind.

Meanings 13–14

From Middle English flag, probably from a Scandinavian source.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

Flag derives from Middle English flag. en.wiktionary.org
The Middle English word probably came from a Scandinavian source. en.wiktionary.org