26984 words

flake

7 definitions • 12 examples
1
a small, thin piece of something, especially if it has come from a surface covered with a layer of something:

Examples:

This room needs decorating - flakes of paint keep coming off the walls.
2
a person you cannot trust to remember things or to do what they promise, or someone who behaves in a strange way:

Examples:

As the story begins, she seems a bit of a flake, and we're not sure how strong her judgment is.
3
to come off a surface in small, thin pieces:

Examples:

flake off Patches of skin are starting to flake off.
4
to not do what you are expected or have promised to do:

Examples:

An hour before the date I hadn't heard anything from him about where to meet and assumed he'd flaked.
flake on She excelled at college, never missing a deadline or flaking on a project.
Don't flake on me now — I need you to be there!
5
a small, thin piece, esp. of a layer on a surface:

Examples:

Flakes of paint fell from the ceiling.
6
a person who does not seem to pay attention and is sometimes silly:

Examples:

That guy is a real flake.
7
to come off easily in small, thin, flat pieces:

Examples:

Plaster is flaking off the walls.

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