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flank

noun · verb

Simple meaning

A subfigure made up of a side of something.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

flangk
US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈflæŋk

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. A subfigure consisting of a side of something

  2. The side of something, in general senses.

  3. anatomy

    The lateral flesh between the last rib and the hip.

  4. That part of the acting surface of a gear wheel tooth that lies within the pitch line.

  5. The outermost strip of a road.

verb

  1. transitive

    To place to the side(s) of.

  2. intransitive

    To be placed to the side(s) of something (usually in terms of two objects, one on each side).

  3. transitive

    To attack the flank(s) of.

  4. transitive

    To defend the flank(s) of.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
C1 · Advanced
Frequency
Uncommon
Typical Use
Primarily written

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: The side of something, in general senses.

Used this way, flank is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Matter-of-fact
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use flank

  • “They attacked the enemy's right flank.”noun

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Side / extreme

right flankleft flank

That part of the acting surface of

southern flanknorthern flank

Cut

flank steak

Other combinations

eastern flankwestern flankflank attack

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • flank steaknounCompound term

    A cut of beef from the flank of the animal.

  • flanker backnounCompound term

    A back stationed wide of the scrimmage line.

Related Words

Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.