flag

¹

[ flag ]

noun

1. a piece of cloth, varying in size, shape, color, and design, usually attached at one edge to a staff or cord, and used as the symbol of a nation, state, or organization, as a means of signaling, etc.; ensign; standard; banner; pennant.
2. Ornithology. the tuft of long feathers on the legs of falcons and most hawks; the lengthened feathers on the crus or tibia.
3. Hunting. the tail of a deer or of a setter dog.
4. Journalism.
   1. the nameplate of a newspaper.
   2. masthead ( def 1 ).
   3. the name of a newspaper as printed on the editorial page.
5. a tab or tag attached to a page, file card, etc., to mark it for attention.
6. Music. hook ¹( def 12a ).
7. Movies, Television. a small gobo.
8. Usually flags. the ends of the bristles of a brush, especially a paintbrush, when split.
9. Computers. a symbol, value, or other means of identifying data of interest, or of informing later parts of a program what conditions earlier parts have encountered.

verb (used with object)

, flagged, flag·ging.

1. to place a flag or flags over or on; decorate with flags.
2. to signal or warn (a person, automobile, etc.) with or as if with a flag (sometimes followed by down ):

   to flag a taxi; to flag down a passing car.

3. to communicate (information) by or as if by a flag.
4. to decoy, as game, by waving a flag or the like to excite attention or curiosity.
5. to mark (a page in a book, file card, etc.) for attention, as by attaching protruding tabs.
6. (of a brush) to split the ends of the bristles.

flag

²

[ flag ]

noun

1. any of various plants with long, sword-shaped leaves, as the sweet flag.
2. blue flag.
3. the long, slender leaf of such a plant or of a cereal.

flag

³

[ flag ]

verb (used without object)

, flagged, flag·ging.

1. to fall off in vigor, energy, activity, interest, etc.:

   Public enthusiasm flagged when the team kept losing.

   Synonyms: wane, sag, slump, wilt, dwindle

2. to hang loosely or limply; droop.

flag

⁴

[ flag ]

noun

1. flagstone ( def 1 ).
2. flags, flagstone ( def 2 ).

verb (used with object)

, flagged, flag·ging.

1. to pave with flagstones.

flag

¹

/ flæɡ /

noun

1. any of various plants that have long swordlike leaves, esp the iris Iris pseudacorus ( yellow flag )
2. the leaf of any such plant

flag

²

/ flæɡ /

verb

1. to hang down; become limp; droop
2. to decline in strength or vigour; become weak or tired

flag

³

/ flæɡ /

noun

1. a piece of cloth, esp bunting, often attached to a pole or staff, decorated with a design and used as an emblem, symbol, or standard or as a means of signalling
2. a small paper flag, emblem, or sticker sold on flag days
3. computing an indicator, that may be set or unset, used to indicate a condition or to stimulate a particular reaction in the execution of a computer program
4. informal.
   short for flag officer flagship
5. journalism another name for masthead
6. the fringe of long hair, tapering towards the tip, on the underside of the tail of certain breeds of dog, such as setters
7. the conspicuously marked tail of a deer
8. a less common name for bookmark
9. the part of a taximeter that is raised when a taxi is for hire
10. the pennant-shaped pattern that is formed when a price fluctuation is plotted on a chart, interrupting the steady rise or fall that precedes and then follows it
11. the flag
    (in Victoria, Australia) the Australian Rules premiership
12. fly the flag
    to represent or show support for one's country, an organization, etc
13. show the flag
    1. to assert a claim, as to a territory or stretch of water, by military presence
    2. to be present; make an appearance
14. strike the flag or lower the flag
    1. to relinquish command, esp of a ship
    2. to submit or surrender

verb

1. to decorate or mark with a flag or flags
2. often foll by down to warn or signal (a vehicle) to stop
3. to send or communicate (messages, information, etc) by flag
4. to decoy (game or wild animals) by waving a flag or similar object so as to attract their attention
5. to mark (a page in a book, card, etc) for attention by attaching a small tab or flag
6. to draw attention to (something)
7. foll byaway or by to consider unimportant; brush aside

flag

⁴

/ flæɡ /

noun

1. short for flagstone

verb

1. tr to furnish (a floor) with flagstones

Derived Forms

• ˈflagger, noun
• ˈflagless, adjective

Other Words From

• flag·ger noun
• flag·less adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of flag¹

First recorded in 1475–85; perhaps blend of flap (noun) and fag ² (noun) in obsolete sense “flap”

Origin of flag²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English flagge

Origin of flag³

First recorded in 1535–45; perhaps blend of of flap (verb) and fag ² (verb) in obsolete sense “to droop”. See flag ¹

Origin of flag⁴

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English flagge “piece of sod”; akin to Old Norse flaga “slab”

Word History and Origins

Origin of flag¹

C14: probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Dutch flag , Danish flæg yellow iris

Origin of flag²

C16: of unknown origin

Origin of flag³

C16: of uncertain origin

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. strike the flag, Also strike one's flag.
   1. to relinquish command, as of a ship.
   2. to submit or surrender:

      His financial situation is growing worse, but he's not ready to strike the flag.

Example Sentences

The families sued Jones after he falsely claimed that the shooting was a false flag to justify the confiscation of Americans' firearms.

From Salon

Elected in 2016, he has draped himself in the Trump flag perhaps more than any other member of Congress, past or present, even boasting that he met his wife at Mar-a-Lago, where he’s a regular fixture.

From Salon

In the last several weeks, authorities banned performances by China’s most famous transgender celebrity, Jin Xing, which some suspected was due to her featuring a rainbow flag in a previous show.

From Los Angeles Times

Cricket, flag football, baseball and softball, lacrosse and squash are the five sports Los Angeles Olympic organizers hope to add for the 2028 Games.

From Los Angeles Times

No. 4-seed Verdugo Hills made history by handing defending City champion Birmingham its first defeat in two years of its flag football program with a 12-0 victory, sending the Dons into next Wednesday’s semifinals against top-seeded San Pedro.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• banner
• emblem
• streamer