white flag

noun

1
: a flag of plain white used as a flag of truce or as a token of surrender
2
: a token of weakness or yielding

Examples of white flag in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web With the Red Sox trailing the Yankees two games to none in the ALCS and down by a handful of runs in the fourth inning, manager Terry Francona waved the white flag and asked swingman Tim Wakefield to wear it for the bullpen in what turned out to be a 19-8 loss. Jerry Beach, Forbes, 17 Oct. 2024 It’s been just over six months to the day J. Cole waved the white flag at his Dreamville Festival to withdraw from the Kendrick Lamar and Drake feud. Michael Saponara, Billboard, 10 Oct. 2024 But for large portions of the debate on Wednesday, Goldstein and Graf just flew a white flag and with few exceptions let Lake go. Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 9 Oct. 2024 The blue and white flag of the country attacked by Hamas was draped on the side with a stack of cards in front describing the lives of all of the victims. Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 7 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for white flag 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'white flag.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1578, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of white flag was in 1578

Dictionary Entries Near white flag

Cite this Entry

“White flag.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/white%20flag. Accessed 2 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

white flag

noun
: a flag of plain white used as a flag of truce or as a sign of surrender

More from Merriam-Webster on white flag

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!