flank

1 of 2

noun

ˈflaŋk 

1

a

: the fleshy part of the side between the ribs and the hip

broadly : the side of a quadruped

She gently patted the horse's flank.

b

: a cut of meat from this part of an animal see beef illustration

2

a

: side

the eastern flank of a volcano

b

: the right or left of a formation

attacked the enemy on both flanks

3

: the area along either side of a heraldic shield

flank

2 of 2

verb

flanked; flanking; flanks

transitive verb

1

a

: to be situated at the side of

especially : to be situated on both sides of

a road flanked with linden trees

b

: to place something on each side of

2

: to protect a flank of

3

: to attack or threaten the flank of (as a body of troops)

Synonyms

Noun

• hand
• side

Verb

• abut
• adjoin
• border (on)
• butt (on or against)
• fringe
• join
• march (with)
• neighbor
• skirt
• touch
• verge (on)

Examples of flank in a Sentence

Noun

She gently patted the horse's flank.

They attacked the enemy on both flanks.

the eastern flank of a volcano

Verb

the guards flank the center on a football team's offensive line

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

But in the 68th minute, Chelsea paid the price as Haaland nudged a long pass from his goalkeeper past Chalobah on the right flank before cutting inside and sitting him down. —Sam Lee, The Athletic, 25 Jan. 2025

The fire's most active flank is on its northern boundary near the Otay Lakes Road area. —Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 24 Jan. 2025

Verb

Trump first announced the creation of Stargate on Tuesday while flanked by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, SoftBank chairman Masayoshi Son and Oracle chief technology officer Larry Ellison. —Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 25 Jan. 2025

While the main bar is enclosed with air-conditioning, it's flanked by two outdoor spaces for smokers, notably those dabbling in the fine cigars sold on the terrace. —Lauren Mowery, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English, from Old French flanc, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German hlanca loin, flank — more at lank

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1594, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing flank

• flank steak

Kids Definition

flank

1 of 2 noun

ˈflaŋk 

1

a

: the fleshy part of the side between the ribs and the hip

b

: a cut of meat from this part of an animal

2

a

: side entry 1 sense 2

b

: the right or left of a military formation

flank

2 of 2 verb

1

: to be located at the side of : border

2

: to protect a flank of

3

: to attack or threaten the flank of (as a body of troops)

Medical Definition

flank

noun

ˈflaŋk 

: the fleshy part of the side between the ribs and the hip

broadly : the side of a quadruped