flaked; flaking
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
Kerensa CadenasMy brother isn't the type to flake out without warning.—D. Morgan Ballmer
—often used with onD. Morgan BallmerFlake on your friends too often and pretty soon your only friends will be Dharma and Greg.—Colleen Rush
Colleen RushLet's get him to sign his name to that before he flakes out on you!—Rhoda Janzen
Rhoda Janzen
: a stage, platform, or tray for drying fish or produce
Synonyms
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 WebKatlyn Moncada, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 June 2024
Add the anchovies, capers, oregano and red pepper flakes and stir until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
—Lynda Balslev, The Mercury News, 24 June 2024
Carrie Honaker, Southern Living, 24 June 2024
The output of this middle period was on par with the complexity of tools produced by nonhuman apes, naive humans and random flaking experiments, which usually took between one and six steps.
—Jack Tamisiea, Scientific American, 17 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for flake 
Noun
For more heat, add some extra black pepper and/or crushed red pepper flakes.
—Katlyn Moncada, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 June 2024
Add the anchovies, capers, oregano and red pepper flakes and stir until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
—Lynda Balslev, The Mercury News, 24 June 2024
Verb
What’s Great About It No flaking Keeps frizz at bay
Helps with tangles
Moisturizing
Light, clean scent
Generous size
What Could Be Better
Some residue
Pump applicator would be nice
Flaking can be a problem, especially for the heavier products needed for 3C-4 curl types.
—Carrie Honaker, Southern Living, 24 June 2024
The output of this middle period was on par with the complexity of tools produced by nonhuman apes, naive humans and random flaking experiments, which usually took between one and six steps.
—Jack Tamisiea, Scientific American, 17 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for flake
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'flake.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near flake
Cite this Entry
“Flake.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flake. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
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