Meaning of flank in English:

flank

Pronunciation /flaŋk/

See synonyms for flank

Translate flank into Spanish

noun

1The side of a person's or animal's body between the ribs and the hip.
‘leaning against his horse's flanks’
- ‘He tapped his horse's flanks and moved back to the front of the procession.’
- ‘He brought his heels back into the horse's flanks.’
- ‘Apache is white with black patches over his left flank, under his chest and neck and over the top of his head, around his eyes.’
- ‘He was close enough to see the deep scars on the horse's flanks.’
- ‘Gregory gathered up his reins and squeezed his horse's flanks gently.’
- ‘The horse's flanks were already heaving as she sucked in deep breaths.’
- ‘Giving them both last, loving looks, Darryl gently kicked his horse's flanks, and he set off.’
- ‘He dug his heels into his horse's flanks, and the mare quickened her pace until they reached the gates.’
- ‘To his left Sandra kicked her heels into the horse's flanks and clicked her tongue.’
- ‘Gregory gathered the reins in his hands and tapped his horse's flanks with his heels.’
- ‘The shaved flanks of the galloping horses were flecked with foaming sweat.’
- ‘He had eased himself up to the flank of the horse in front.’
- ‘Dan patted his horse on the flank and unsaddled it, then took off its bridle.’
- ‘They tested for level of sensory block by stubbing their thighs and flanks with the cigars they puffed with their after-dinner brandy.’
- ‘He shook his head to dismiss the troublesome thoughts, and dug his spurs into the flanks of the horse.’
- ‘Patients with acute pancreatitis present with mild to severe epigastric pain, with radiation to the flank, the back, or both.’
- ‘The flanks of the two animals collided together and Adam heard leather ripping, just as a shaft of pain ran up his leg.’
- ‘The patient has a high white count and tenderness of the left flank.’
- ‘And no imported food nourishes the people's bodies and warms their spirits like the meat they slice from the flanks of a whale or seal.’
- ‘The ambulance report notes her complaint of pain to the right flank and in the area of her right ribs.’
side, haunch, loin, quarter, thigh
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1. 1.1A cut of meat from the flank of an animal.
  ‘a thick flank of beef’
  ‘I spend all day hauling around big tubs of pork chops and beef flanks to be packed, wrapped and carted off to restaurants.’
  ‘For beef, good casserole cuts are shin, brisket, neck, topside, thick flank or shoulder.’
  ‘There were nice fatty chuck roasts, rolled flanks and skirts, four kinds of fresh looking ground beef in those pretty crowns that I knew I'd never learn to make.’
  ‘But how to make good use of the topside, silverside and thick flank was always less well understood.’
  ‘The lifting of import restrictions on pork flank and offal will affect pig farmers.’
  ‘What about ground beef, roast beef, tenderloin, porterhouse, T-bone, flank, ribs, and other cuts?’
  ‘A ceramic bowl spills over with a hearty stew of calamari, shrimp, flanks of fish, mussels and scallops in a mild and vaguely sweet tomato-fennel sauce.’
2. 1.2The side of a large object or structure.
  ‘the northern flank of the Rockies’
  ‘These linear depressions are filled with brines that are the result of dissolution of evaporites by fluids travelling up the flank of the structure.’
  ‘Sometime ago, water leaked from the right flank of the solid structure.’
  ‘Determine the style of faulting and deformation on the flanks of the structure.’
  ‘Strong cold winds, generated on the ice sheet's northern flanks, blow out across the ocean, cooling the surface waters.’
  ‘The ascent of the mountain's northern flanks look fearsome from here but, although steep, there were no real difficulties.’
  ‘She added that more investigations had been carried out below a blemish to the northern flank of the five-and-a-half acre mound but no problems were found.’
  ‘One investigation to an anomaly revealed by the scans on the northern flank of the hill revealed nothing of significance, said English Heritage.’
  ‘It's easy to see where you're headed, up the northern flank of Wensleydale to the lower of two woods and a bit higher.’
  ‘These reference sections have a similar thickness and composition, and are 33 km apart on the northern and southern flanks of Jabal Akhdar.’
  ‘Lavas form the main part of the northern and eastern flanks and a small part of the southwestern flank.’
  ‘Major canyons are also present on the western flanks of Guadeloupe and northern Dominica, above the deep Grenada Basin.’
  ‘Exposed layering is steepest in the northern flanks of the dome where it parallels the outer slopes of the bedrock collar.’
  ‘The reduction in thickness of the Middle jurassic units in the northern flank of Jabal Akhdar is mainly due to a top truncation.’
  ‘However, it is only the northern flank of this ancestral edifice that remains.’
  ‘Mosquito Ghaut was a major valley on the northern flank and guided many pyroclastic flows in 1997.’
  ‘Its northern flank swooped up from the corrie floor at a vertiginous angle.’
  ‘The northern flank of the southern mound is onlapped or downlapped by the next mound to the north.’
  ‘Flasby Fell comprises the twin peaks of Rough Haw and Sharp Haw just north of Skipton and includes the forested area on the northern and western flanks.’
  ‘In 1908 seismic activity accompanying the eruption onset was characterized by deep earthquakes in the northern flank and shallower ones in the Valle del Bove area.’
  ‘The park's southern boundary runs along the southern base of the range, and the northern flank of the Ilparpa claypans.’
  edge, border, verge, boundary, margin, fringe, fringes, flank, brink, bank, brim, rim, lip, perimeter, circumference, extremity, periphery, limit, outer limit, limits, bound, bounds
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2The right or left side of a body of people such as an army, a naval force, or a soccer team.
‘the left flank of the Russian Third Army’
- ‘By the evening of 28 August, German forces advancing on the flanks had closed a circle around Second Army.’
- ‘The 3rd and 2nd panzer groups were placed at the flanks of the Army Group Center as part of its assault groups.’
- ‘By this formula MacArthur could pick the time and place of battle, using air and naval forces to protect his flanks while concentrating combat power for the next thrust.’
- ‘Together with the French army on their right flank, the British penetrated seven miles on the first day of their attack and took 30,000 prisoners.’
- ‘The platoon in the unaffected pass began to reposition onto the flank of the enemy forces, which took approximately 20 minutes.’
- ‘Members of the buddy teams on the flanks of the formation must remember to keep their distance.’
- ‘For this reason the main forces of the army group were deployed at flanks.’
- ‘An army must protect its flanks whether attacking or defending.’
- ‘Small enveloping detachments and air assault forces were used to strike into the enemy flank and rear.’
- ‘Airpower is needed to help protect the flanks of rapidly advancing armored and mechanized units, and for providing on-call fire support for their lead elements.’
- ‘The cavalry - deployed in front of the army and on its flanks - would find the enemy and fix him in place.’
- ‘Hidden and bypassed infantry strong points were to conceal themselves and assail the flanks and rear of the German forces to further slow the German advance.’
- ‘The troops who were to protect the western flank of the Russian army in Bulgaria suffered at the strategic fortress of Pleven, 60 km south of the Danube.’
- ‘The left flank of II Corps was threatened with collapse and additional combat power was needed.’
- ‘It will also support the main operations of the Army, i.e. those of the central Army Group and of the vital flank of the Southern Army Group.’
- ‘Although numbering fewer than his own, Lind had the advantage of surprise and had engaged his forces from the western flank.’
- ‘If needed the attacking side can strike against the flanks and the rear of the counterattacking enemy thus completing its destruction and moving on to the next stage, the pursuit.’
- ‘The troops attack from the march by performing enveloping and outflanking maneuvers and striking at the flanks and the rear.’
- ‘Cavalry penetrated deeply into the enemy's flanks bypassing its defensive strong points and raided its rear.’
- ‘Meanwhile, an advancing force, by taking advantage of terrain irregularities, can covertly penetrate the flanks and rear service areas of defending troops.’
side, wing
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1. 2.1The right or left side of a gaming area such as a chessboard.
  ‘When the opponent attacks on the flank, a counter in the center is usually very effective.’
2. 2.2Rugby
  another term for wing forward
  ‘At one point he popped up in the Scottish defence as an auxiliary flank forward, driving a heavy Argentine opponent clean away from the ruck in textbook fashion.’
  ‘He is built like a flank forward, likes to speak his mind and has the charisma of a natural-born leader.’
  ‘I remember that during that game my hero, W.B. Willie Welsh, who played flank forward for Scotland, went off.’
  ‘He and Fielding, having recaptured a lot of his tackling skill after a lean period, reduced the pressure from the flank forwards.’
  ‘He was considered by many experts to be one of the best flank forwards in the world.’

verb

[with object]

1Be on each or on one side of.
‘the three defendants stood in the dock, flanked by police officers’
- ‘cherry-red sofas flanked the enormous fireplace’
- ‘It is well lit by two large windows and has as its focal point a marble fireplace flanked by built-in shelving units.’
- ‘The fireplace is flanked by fitted floor-to-ceiling bookshelves.’
- ‘Central to the transformation was the creation of an inviting sitting area oriented toward a new gas fireplace flanked by tall bookshelves.’
- ‘The living room features a 1924 original fireplace flanked by two vintage guitars, which Ty collects.’
- ‘Hulme, dressed in a striped pullover and jeans and Maguire who was wearing a bomber jacket and white t-shirt, were flanked in the dock by two police officers.’
- ‘There was a buffet beneath one window, and china closets flanked the fireplace where a fire crackled behind the fender.’
- ‘On the far wall, between two circular portholes, was a red and gold fireplace, flanked by two armchairs.’
- ‘This area has a neutral decor and includes a sash window to the front and a white marble fireplace which is flanked by deep alcoves.’
- ‘These days, he sits in the dock flanked by carts full of binders, which he frequently consults.’
- ‘She smiled briefly at a court official as she was led into the 7ft long dock and was flanked by three female security officers.’
- ‘Robinson was flanked in the dock by two security officers during the 10-minute hearing.’
- ‘The focal point here is an attractive exposed brick fireplace with a solid fuel stove; this is flanked by wooden bookshelves and a fitted storage cupboard.’
- ‘Seated in the dock, flanked by prison officers, he adopted his customary stance - shoulders slouched forward, head bowed.’
- ‘Two black leather sofas flanked a low table in front of the receptionist, and Wendy chose one.’
- ‘Every computer desk I've had until recently was flanked by bookshelves loaded with titles.’
- ‘With his hands handcuffed behind his back, he was flanked in the dock by seven police officers wearing body armour and thick black gloves.’
- ‘Two closets flanking the fireplace were cleverly disguised as built-in china cabinets.’
- ‘But if it all gets too tranquil for your taste, you can always head back to the bright lights of Palma or the seaside resorts which flank it on both sides.’
- ‘She was flanked on either side by detectives who have played a central role in the case.’
- ‘The cabinets flanking the fireplace hold movies that are presented on the opposite wall by a laptop projector.’
edge, bound, line, border, fringe, skirt, be situated along
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1. 1.1Guard or strengthen (a military force or position) from the side.
  ‘the southern gate of the fortress is flanked by towers’
  ‘massive walls, defended by four flanking towers’
  ‘I had moved out of the view of the two armed guards and they quickly moved to flanking positions either side of me.’
  ‘The other two took flanking positions as the group headed across the city.’
2. 1.2Attack down or from the sides, or rake with gunfire from the sides.
  ‘the ship went straight through the enemy fleet and flanked them’
  ‘a flanking attack from the north-east’
  ‘We sat around the kitchen table and planned out our strategy, various frontal attacks and flanking maneuvers we could make were considered.’
  ‘Suddenly, two Rebel batteries flanked the attacking Union troops and opened fire upon their exposed rear flank.’
  ‘The second fighter's attack you, Tice and his five-fighter squadron will flank from behind and intercept.’
  ‘A flanking attack on Antigonus' troops from Spartan light infantry stationed in the Oenus valley was thwarted by an aggressive cavalry attack led by the Achaean general Philopoemen.’
  ‘When intercepted radio traffic provided details of the German plans, CCA promptly attacked with flanking fires and destroyed an entire company.’
  ‘There were no breakouts, flanking attacks or sweeping maneuvers.’
  ‘Bussey's action contributed to L Company's success in Yechon by preventing a right rear flanking attack.’
  ‘Supported by not very many Russians the Bulgarian volunteer detachment drove off dozens of frontal and flanking attacks by an enemy far superior in terms of manpower and equipment.’
  ‘The 1st Armoured Division, headquartered in Wiesbaden, Germany, led the main flanking attack into Iraq during the 1991 Gulf War.’
  ‘Many warnings of a flanking attack were ignored at Hooker's headquarters - Lee was retreating.’
  ‘He had drawn a sword of his own and came at her, while his companion maneuvered for a flanking attack on the slayer.’
  ‘The risk, if those forces committed to the attack and lost, that the Rebels would flank and sweep the Union position was too great for McClellan to countenance.’
  ‘They swept up from the main gallery on the great stairs, with a second prong up the middle west servants' stairs and a flanking attack through the dumbwaiter in the music library.’
  ‘This left Herman to cover for any flanking attacks.’
  ‘If he wants to attack, he will probably attempt a flanking maneuver.’
  ‘‘We should go in with a flanking wing formation,’ Captain Tanaka said.’
  ‘Corporal Bennett, flanking the enemy position, closed with and killed one enemy soldier with a knife.’
  ‘His Legion was currently deployed along the right flank, slowly moving towards the enemy base in hopes of flanking their position.’
  ‘Enemies duck, cover, flank your positions, and generally try to kill you as intensely as you try to kill them.’
  lateral, wing, flank, flanking
  View synonyms

Phrases

in flank

Military

At the side.
‘they were to hit the tail of the column in flank’
- ‘Meanwhile the Roman infantry pushed back the Celts and Spaniards in Hannibal's centre, bunching inwards away from the Africans who were thus able to take them in flank.’