📖 F — The English dictionary · page 23

flange — Everyday, meaning 1: A flange is a flat rim or edge that sticks out around a pipe, wheel or metal part, used to make it stronger, hold it in place or join it to something else.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: On a train wheel, the flange is the raised inside edge that keeps the wheel on the rail.↗ Example: The plumber bolted the two pipe flanges together.↗ · The flange on a train wheel stops it slipping off the rails.↗ · The shelf bracket has a flange for the screws.↗ · Check that the flange is flat before tightening.↗ · A tin can's rim is a kind of flange.↗ · The engineer measured the flange carefully.↗ · Baloo looked up to see where the voice came from, and there was Rann the Kite, sweeping down with the sun shining on the upturned flanges of his wings.↗

flank — Everyday, meaning 1: The side of an animal's or person's body between the ribs and the hip.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: The side of an army, a team formation or a building.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (verb) To be at the side of someone or something: «flanked by guards».↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (verb) To go round the side of an enemy to attack.↗ Example: The horse had a scratch on its flank.↗ · The army attacked the enemy's left flank.↗ · The winger ran down the right flank and crossed the ball.↗ · The headteacher walked in, flanked by two teachers.↗ · Tall trees flanked the path.↗ · The soldiers tried to flank the castle from the hill.↗ · The Mouse peeped out, crept furtively up his flank, and again biting him, retreated to his hole.↗ · Zebulun shall dwell at the shore of the sea, and he shall be a shore for ships, and his flank shall be upon Zidon.↗ (Torah GEN.49.13, JPS 1917)↗ · therefore, behold, I will open the flank of Moab on the side of the cities, on the side of his cities which are on his frontiers, the beauteous country of Beth-jeshimoth, Baal-meon, and Kiriathaim, (Prophets EZK.25.9, JPS 1917)↗

flannel — Everyday, meaning 1: A flannel is a soft woollen cloth, often used to wash the face.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (old use) Flannels are soft woollen underclothes worn next to the skin.↗ Example: Wash your face with a warm flannel.↗ · Remember to change your flannels, Peter.↗ · Her flannels were soft and warm.↗ · Mum packed clean flannels for the trip.↗

flap — Everyday, meaning 1: To flap is to move up and down or from side to side quickly, like a bird's wings or a flag in the wind.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A flap is a flat piece of paper, cloth or other material fixed along one side, that covers an opening, like the flap of an envelope or a cat flap.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Informally, a flap is a state of worry and fuss: «Don't get in a flap».↗ Example: The bird flapped its wings and flew away.↗ · The flag flapped in the wind.↗ · Lick the flap and seal the envelope.↗ · Our cat comes in through the cat flap.↗ · My little brother loves lift-the-flap books.↗ · Don't get in a flap; we have plenty of time.↗ · The tent flap blew open in the night.↗ · Quietly he lifted the door-flap and entered in.↗

flapping — Everyday, meaning 1: Flapping means moving wings or arms up and down quickly.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Flapping means moving loosely back and forth, like a flag or a sail in the wind.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Flapping (informal, British) can mean being nervous and worried, in a flap.↗ Example: The bird was flapping its wings to take off.↗ · The flag was flapping in the strong wind.↗ · The tent door kept flapping all night.↗ · Ducks were flapping and splashing on the pond.↗ · Stop flapping, we'll find your keys!↗ · He ran around flapping his arms like a chicken.↗ · Hummingbirds keep flapping their wings very fast.↗ · The tame crow stood in the door-way flapping her wings.↗

flaps — Everyday, meaning 1: Flaps is the form of «flap» used with he, she or it: «The bird flaps its wings.».↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Flaps is the plural of the noun «flap»: flat pieces fixed on one side that cover openings, or movable parts on an aeroplane wing.↗ Early Modern English, meaning 1: loose hanging coverings over an opening, such as the door of a tent or hut.↗ Example: The duck flaps its wings in the water.↗ · The plane's flaps come down before it lands.↗ · Lift the flaps to find the hidden animals.↗ · My jacket has flaps over the pockets.↗ · The washing flaps on the line.↗ · A hummingbird flaps its wings very fast.↗ · The pilot checked the flaps before take-off.↗ · On the following morning at daybreak, peeped the people out of half-open door-flaps.↗ · On the following morning at daybreak, peeped the people out of half-open door-flaps.↗ (Old Indian Legends) · [Footnote 3: 'Pinners' were coifs with two long side-flaps pinned on. '↗ Double-pinners'--with two side-flaps on each side--accurately translates the French cornettes à deux rangs.]↗ (The Fairy Tales of Charles Perrault) · Very early the oval-shaped door-flaps were thrust aside and many brown faces peered out of the wigwams toward the top of the highest bluff.↗ (Old Indian Legends)

flare — Everyday, meaning 1: A flare is a very bright light or flame used as a signal for help, especially at sea.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To flare is to burn suddenly brightly.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: To flare up is for something bad to start suddenly or get worse, like anger, a fire or an illness.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: To flare is to get wider at the bottom, like a skirt or nostrils.↗ Example: The sailors fired a flare to call for help.↗ · The fire flared up in the wind.↗ · Don't touch flares you find on the beach.↗ · A solar flare is a burst of energy from the Sun.↗ · His temper flared when he lost.↗ · Her asthma flared up in the cold.↗ · The horse's nostrils flared.↗ · A LAMP, soaked with too much oil and flaring brightly, boasted that it gave more light than the sun.↗

flash — Everyday, meaning 1: A flash is a quick bright light.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To flash is to shine for a very short moment, or to shine on and off.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: In a flash means very quickly.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: A flash on a camera is a bright light for taking photos in the dark.↗ Everyday, meaning 5: To flash by is to move past very fast.↗ Everyday, meaning 6: To flash into someone's mind means to occur to them suddenly.↗ Example: The light flashes every 5 seconds.↗ · A red lamp flashes 3 times a minute.↗ · Two lights flash together at 8 seconds.↗ · How many flashes in a minute?↗ · A flash of lightning lit up the sky.↗ · Count the seconds between the flash and the thunder.↗ · The rabbit was gone in a flash.↗ · The ambulance came with its lights flashing.↗ · Please turn off the flash in the museum.↗ · A car flashed past the window.↗ · Instantly the truth flashed upon him.↗ · So there was hail, and fire flashing up amidst the hail, very grievous, such as had not been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.↗ (Torah EXO.9.24, JPS 1917)↗ · Many Kabalists have shown how the Ten Sephiruth are symbolized by the zig-zag lightning flash.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893)↗ · The Ten ineffable Sephiroth have the appearance of the Lightning flash", their origin is unseen and no end is perceived.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893)↗ · His sneezings flash forth light, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.↗ (Writings JOB.41.10, JPS 1917)↗ · And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.↗ (Prophets EZK.1.14, JPS 1917)↗ · That causeth destruction to flash upon the strong, so that destruction cometh upon the fortress.↗ (Prophets AMO.5.9, JPS 1917)↗

flashback — Everyday, meaning 1: A flashback is a part of a story, film or play that goes back to show something that happened earlier.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A flashback is a sudden, very clear memory of a past event, often a frightening one, that feels like it is happening again.↗ Example: The film opens with a flashback to the hero's childhood.↗ · Write a flashback to show why the character is afraid of dogs.↗ · In the flashback we learn the grandfather was a sailor.↗ · The soldier had flashbacks of the war.↗ · Use the past perfect tense to start a flashback: «She had once lived by the sea.»↗ · The wavy picture told us it was a flashback.↗

flashcard — Everyday, meaning 1: A flashcard is a small card with a word, picture, question or sum on one side and the answer on the other, used to learn and remember things quickly.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (computing) A digital flashcard is the same thing on an app or computer.↗ Example: I made flashcards for my spelling test.↗ · Mum tested me with times-table flashcards.↗ · Our French teacher held up a flashcard of a cat.↗ · Flashcards help you remember new words.↗ · Shuffle the flashcards before you start.↗ · My app has flashcards for Spanish.↗ · Write the question on one side and the answer on the other side of the flashcard.↗

flashlight — Everyday, meaning 1: A flashlight is a small electric light you hold in your hand, powered by batteries; in the UK, Ireland and Australia it is usually called a torch.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Flashlight can also mean the flash on a camera.↗ Example: Shine the flashlight under the bed.↗ · Keep a flashlight ready in case the power goes out.↗ · We read stories under the covers with a flashlight.↗ · The flashlight needs new batteries.↗ · Light travels in straight lines from the flashlight.↗ · The beam of the flashlight lit up the cave.↗ · Pack a flashlight for the camping trip.↗

flashy — Everyday, meaning 1: Flashy means bright, shiny or showy, made to attract attention, often in a way that seems too much.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Flashy can describe someone who likes to show off.↗ Example: He drove a flashy red sports car.↗ · She wore flashy gold shoes to the party.↗ · The footballer did a flashy trick but lost the ball.↗ · The advert was flashy, but the toy was cheap.↗ · I prefer a plain bike to a flashy one.↗ · The flashy lights of the fair lit up the night.↗ · Don't be flashy; just play the simple pass.↗

flask — Everyday, meaning 1: A flask is a container that keeps drinks hot or cold, also called a vacuum flask or Thermos.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: In science, a flask is a glass container with a narrow neck, used in experiments.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: A flask can also be a small flat bottle for carrying a drink in a pocket.↗ Example: Grandpa poured hot tea from his flask.↗ · Take a flask of soup on the cold walk.↗ · The scientist swirled the liquid in the flask.↗ · A vacuum flask keeps drinks hot for hours.↗ · The flask also keeps cold drinks cold.↗ · Use a conical flask for this experiment.↗ · My water flask fits in my school bag.↗ · He was about to take a drink from a flask.↗

flaskful — Everyday, meaning 1: A flaskful is as much as a flask can hold.↗ Example: What is more astonishing is, that I only emptied a small flaskful into the basin, and it increased to the quantity you now see.↗

flat — Everyday, meaning 1: Flat means smooth and level, with no bumps or hills.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A flat shape has length and width but no thickness, like a drawing of a square.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: A flat (British) is a home on one floor of a bigger building; Americans say apartment.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: A flat tyre has lost its air.↗ Everyday, meaning 5: A flat drink has lost its bubbles.↗ Everyday, meaning 6: In music, a flat note is a bit lower.↗ Everyday, meaning 7: Flat can mean exactly: in ten seconds flat.↗ Example: A square is a flat shape.↗ · The table top is flat.↗ · They live in a flat on the 3rd floor.↗ · A flat of strawberries holds 12 boxes.↗ · My bike has a flat tyre.↗ · The land near the coast is flat.↗ · The lemonade went flat.↗ · Lie flat on the mat.↗ · He ran the race in ten seconds flat.↗ · Lengthwise, flat on his back, he lay.↗ · What was intended was שְׁטוּחָה shetuchah, meaning ‘flat’.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Sefaria community translation)↗

flatfish — Everyday, meaning 1: A flatfish is a fish with a flat body that lies on one side on the sea floor, such as a plaice, sole, flounder, halibut or turbot.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Both its eyes end up on the upper side of its head as it grows.↗ Example: A flatfish hides by lying flat on the sand.↗ · Plaice is a flatfish with orange spots.↗ · Young flatfish swim upright until one eye moves over.↗ · The flatfish changed colour to match the gravel.↗ · Halibut is the largest flatfish.↗ · We saw a flatfish in the rock pool.↗

flatlined — Everyday, meaning 1: (medical slang, euphemism) died; the heart stopped, so the line on the heart monitor became flat.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (business, informal) stopped growing or changing; stayed at the same level: «sales have flatlined».↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (informal) became very tired or lost all energy.↗ Example: The patient flatlined, but the doctors brought him back.↗ · In the TV drama, the heart monitor beeped and the man flatlined.↗ · Sales of the toy flatlined after Christmas.↗ · Our class's reading scores have flatlined this term.↗ · After the cross-country race, I totally flatlined on the sofa.↗ · The graph flatlined at 200 visitors a day.↗ · The phone battery flatlined halfway through the film.↗ · The company's profits have flatlined for three years.↗

flatly — Everyday, meaning 1: Flatly means completely and firmly, with no doubt.↗ e.g. "She flatly refused."↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Flatly means in a dull, flat voice without feeling or expression.↗ Example: He flatly refused to eat the sprouts.↗ · The boy flatly denied breaking the window.↗ · "I don't care," she said flatly.↗ · The team flatly rejected the idea of cheating.↗ · He spoke flatly, as if he were very tired.↗ · Mum flatly said no to a second dog.↗ · When the queen—or, rather, the swineherd’s daughter—heard of this, she very much wished to have the distaff, but the girl flatly refused to give it to her.↗