flake

1 of 4

noun (1)

1
: a small loose mass or bit
flakes of snow
2
: a thin flattened piece or layer : chip
3
slang : cocaine
4

flake

2 of 4

verb

flaked; flaking

transitive verb

1
: to cover with or as if with flakes
2
: to form or break into flakes : chip

intransitive verb

1
: to separate into flakes
also : to peel in flakes
2
or flake out informal : to fail or neglect to do or participate in something previously scheduled, agreed upon, or assigned
He'd disappear, then text, disappear, and then text again. So it's not particularly surprising that when we finally made plans to meet he flaked without a word.Kerensa Cadenas
My brother isn't the type to flake out without warning.D. Morgan Ballmer
often used with on
Flake on your friends too often and pretty soon your only friends will be Dharma and Greg.Colleen Rush
Let's get him to sign his name to that before he flakes out on you!Rhoda Janzen

flake

3 of 4

noun (2)

: a stage, platform, or tray for drying fish or produce

flake

4 of 4

noun (3)

: a person who is flaky : oddball

Examples of flake in a Sentence

Noun (1) sprinkle the cake with coconut flakes Verb Bake the fish until it flakes easily when tested with a fork. Noun (3) the lady with all those cats is sweet, but kind of a flake
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
In a Dutch oven, heat the oil, butter, bouillon base, garlic powder, chile flakes, basil and oregano over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes or until quite fragrant. Kelly Brant, arkansasonline.com, 6 Nov. 2024 Once melted, add garlic, black pepper, and red pepper flakes, stirring continuously, 45 seconds or until garlic is fragrant. Amber Love Bond, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024
Verb
Last year, my biggest stressor was whether the person who agreed to bring the mashed potatoes would flake at the last minute. Rebecca Jennings, Vox, 18 Nov. 2024 This helped prevent any more glass from flaking off and gave the bottles a shiny new look. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for flake 

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English; akin to Old English flacor flying (of arrows), Old Norse flakna to flake off, split

Noun (2)

Middle English flake, fleke hurdle; akin to Middle Dutch vlāke, vlaec hurdle, Old Norse flaki

Noun (3)

perhaps from flake out

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1602, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (2)

1623, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

1964, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of flake was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near flake

Cite this Entry

“Flake.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flake. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

flake

1 of 2 noun
: a small thin flat usually loose piece : chip

flake

2 of 2 verb
flaked; flaking
: to form or separate into flakes

More from Merriam-Webster on flake

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