How to use flank in a sentence

40 example sentences · verb, noun, adjective

Flank means to attack the flank(s) of. Example: “I took the quarter and hid it in my right flank.”

Examples of flank by meaning

verbTo place to the side(s) of.

But because it flanked public roads and was unfenced (to save costs), it was deemed a tramway and its locomotives had to be fitted with a cowcatcher.2023 January 11, Richard Foster, “British Rail's weirdest railways...: Wisbech & Upwell Tramway”, in RAIL, number 974, page 46

nounThe side of something, in general senses.

Cautiously I approached the flank of the cliffs, where they terminated in an abrupt escarpment as though some all powerful hand had broken off a great section of rock and set it upon the surface of the earth.1918 September–November, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “The Land That Time Forgot”, in The Blue Book Magazine, Chicago, Ill.: Story-press Corp....
Ahead the flanks of the Pennines gleamed faintly in the moonlight, looking as though they themselves were part of some dry and deserted lunar landscape.1960 January, G. Freeman Allen, “"Condor"—British Railways' fastest freight train”, in Trains Illustrated, page 48

nounEither of the two pockets located on the seat of a pair of pants.

I took the quarter and hid it in my right flank.

nounAn ideological faction within a political party.

Ford survived a primary challenge in 1976 from the right flank of the Republican Party by Ronald Reagan.

nounThe wing, one side of the pitch.

The hosts also had Paul Robinson to thank for a string of saves, three of them coming against Jerome Thomas, who gave Michel Salgado a torrid time down the left flank.2011 January 23, Alistair Magowan, “Blackburn 2 - 0 West Brom”, in BBC

adjectiveMaximum. Historically faster than full speed (the most a vessel can sustain without excessive engine wear or risk of...

All ahead flank!

More sentences with flank

The pyramids at Giza are flanked by large cemeteries containing hundreds of mastabas.From the entry mastaba
"Deploy two units of infantry along the enemy's flank," the general ordered.From the entry deploy
Ivan is planning an attack on our flank.From the entry ivan
In Mori Kazakh Autonomous County, Guanguan films a detention center flanked by watchtowers and surveillance cameras.2021 November 18, Nuriman Abdurashid, Roseanne Gerin, “Video from Xinjiang provides fresh evidence of China’s Uyghur repression”, in Radio…. From the entry Mori
Her underlings flanked her, like Padawans studying beneath some great Jedi.2017, Marnie Riches, Born Bad, London: Avon, →ISBN. From the entry padawan
These lines are possibly meant to represent two portici flanking the building on its long sides.2016, Roger S. Bagnall, Roberta Casagrande-Kim, Akın Ersoy, Cumhur Tanrıver, editors, Graffiti from the Basilica in the Agora of Smyrna…. From the entry portico
A boar hooving the dust in anticipation of sinking a tusk into her flank?2016, Boris Fishman, Don’t Let My Baby Do Rodeo, New York, N.Y.: Harper, →ISBN, page 231. From the entry hoove
They are rursiradiate on the middle of the flank and become prorsiradiate towards the venter.2016 January 14, “Paleobiology of the Latest Tithonian (Late Jurassic) Ammonite Salinites grossicostatum Inferred from Internal and…. From the entry prorsiradiate
Hammers thudded into its flesh, and warblades bit at its flanks, but it refused to fall.2016, Josh Reynolds, “The Prisoner of the Black Sun”, in Hammerhal & Other Stories: Great Fiction from the Mortal Realms (Warhammer Age of…. From the entry warblade
The large campus of Sydney Uni dominates the suburbs on the city’s western flank.2012, Peter Dragicevich, Pocket Sydney, Lonely Planet, →ISBN, page 12. From the entry Hogwartsian
Doner than a flank steak at a West Texas truck stop.2007 June 3, “Suddenly, the field is level”, in Austin American-Statesman. From the entry doner
The Hathor abaci above the Mammisi capitals were only decorated on the east flank.1989, Eleni Vassilika, “The Work Methods of the Artisan at Philae”, in Ptolemaic Philae (Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta; 34), Leuven…. From the entry abacus
In some Charles appeared, in shorts and sola topi, flanked by robed, shock-headed men of intense blackness.1988, Alan Hollinghurst, The Swimming-Pool Library, paperback edition, London: Penguin Books, →ISBN, page 96. From the entry sola topi
Her teeth sank into his lips, he felt the sweet galbe of her flanks and arching back.1983, Lawrence Durrell, Sebastian (Avignon Quintet), Faber & Faber, published 2004, page 1123. From the entry galbe
He dug his bare heels into the horse's flanks and bounced up and down.1978, Tom Reamy, Blind Voices. From the entry sumbitch
Namakiers represent large, recumbent sheath folds underlain and flanked by rigid bedrock and overlain by air.1970, University of Texas, Bureau of Economic Geology (contributor), Report of Investigations - Issues 142-146, page 18. From the entry namakier
Cattle grids flanking the roadway prevent animals from straying from the crossing on to the railway.1953 February, “Experimental Lifting Barriers for Level Crossing”, in Railway Magazine, page 133. From the entry cattle grid
Argent, a shakefork sable between three fleurs-de-lis azure, one in chief and two in flank.1910, Arthur Charles Fox-Davies, Armorial Families: A Directory of Gentlemen of Coat-armour, page 403. From the entry shakefork
I nodded my head and proceeded to make a flank attack on the nearest harem.1904, Jack London, chapter 30, in The Sea-Wolf (Macmillan’s Standard Library), New York, N.Y.: Grosset & Dunlap, →OCLC. From the entry harem
Four kilometers behind them were the two battleships and the cruiser Mogami in line ahead, with a destroyer on each flank.2024, Walter S. Zapotoczny, “The Battle of Surigao Strait: The Last Crossing of the T”, in Military History Online, archived from the…. From the entry line ahead
Flanked by a minder and a walk-on girl he strode down the walkway, hands in prayer, eyes turned heavenward.2017, Matthew E. Pointon, “Holy Mass”, in Short Stories Volume 2 (2006–2010), [Morrisville, N.C.]: Lulu, →ISBN, page 179. From the entry walk-on girl
With the patient in the lateral position, the flanks and lateral thighs, the gluteal fold, and the “banana” fold are treated.2016, Melvin A. Shiffman, Alberto Di Giuseppe, Liposuction: Principles and Practice, page 535. From the entry banana fold
Below her formidable eyes her fangs are flanked by limb-like mouthparts: her palps, coloured a startling white like a quivering moustache.2015, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Children of Time, Pan Books (2016), page 20. From the entry palp
Jody steps toward the first door, then motions for his lighting man–Mike, and his designated door opener–Wil, to flank him.2014, James Reagan, Leeds House, page 66. From the entry door opener
He captured the contrast between the tanners’ workshops and shanties flanking the Dâmbovița and the imposing public buildings recently erected nearby.2013, Adrian-Silvan Ionescu, “Romanian Architecture and Cityscape: The Legacy of Nineteenth-Century Photographers”, in Micheline Nilsen…. From the entry Dâmbovița
Mer-guards flanked the front opening to the palace.2011, L-J Baker, Promises, Promises, Lethe Press, →ISBN, page 148. From the entry merguard
On a table stood a full carafe — one of those bell-mouthed Italian carafes, flanked by a black bottle.2009, Louis Begley, Anka Muhlstein, Venice for Lovers. From the entry bell-mouthed
Upstarts like the snack menu, with its little offerings of polpettine and deviled eggs, are encroaching from the flank.2007 December 5, Kim Severson, “Is the Entree Heading for Extinction?”, in New York Times. From the entry polpettine
In journalism, ears flank the title as boxes in the left and right top corners of a publication (generally a newspaper).2006, Richard Weiner, Charles M. Levine, The Skinny about Best Boys, Dollies, Green Rooms, Leads, and Other Media Lingo, page 26. From the entry ear
This class of acetogenins possesses a THF ring with one or two flanking hydroxyls and various terminal lactone rings.2006, Ed Atta-Ur-Rahman, Studies in Natural Products Chemistry. From the entry acetogenins
He will choose later what flank to attack on.2006 May 7, Robert Byrne, “For Most Players, Speed Chess Is Like a Keystone Kops Melee”, in The New York Times, archived from the original…. From the entry mainline
And here comes the princess now, stepping from her limousine, flanked by musclemen, caught in a fusillade of clicking cameras.2001, Mick Lewis, chapter 14, in Rags, page 158. From the entry muscleman
The white eyeballs and white teeth of the horse, the panting flanks, the rigid legs all stood out eldritchly.1985, Arthur Crew Inman, Daniel Aaron, The Inman Diary. From the entry eldritchly

Meaning of flank

verb To attack the flank(s) of.
verb To defend the flank(s) of.
verb To place to the side(s) of.

Full definition of flank

Questions about flank in a sentence

How do you use flank in a sentence?: Flank is used as a verb, noun and adjective. For example: “I took the quarter and hid it in my right flank.”
What is a short sentence with flank?: “All ahead flank!”
What does flank mean?: Flank means to attack the flank(s) of.

Adapted from Wiktionary: flank (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Cite this page: “How to use flank in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/flank. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.