flake
1 of 4noun (1)
ˈflāk 
1
: a small loose mass or bit
flakes of snow
2
: a thin flattened piece or layer : chip
3
slang : cocaine
4
: flake tool
flake
2 of 4verb
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
Kerensa CadenasMy brother isn't the type to flake out without warning. D. Morgan Ballmer
—often used with on D. Morgan Ballmer Flake on your friends too often and pretty soon your only friends will be Dharma and Greg. Colleen RushLet's get him to sign his name to that before he flakes out on you! Rhoda Janzen
Colleen RushLet's get him to sign his name to that before he flakes out on you! Rhoda Janzenflake
3 of 4noun (2)
: a stage, platform, or tray for drying fish or produce
flake
4 of 4noun (3)
: a person who is flaky : oddball
Synonyms
Noun (1)
- chip
- sliver
- spall
- splint
- splinter
Noun (3)
- character
- codger
- crack
- crackbrain
- crackpot
- crank
- eccentric
- fruitcake
- head case
- kook
- nut
- nutcase
- nutter [British slang]
- oddball
- oddity
- original
- quiz
- screwball
- weirdo
- zany
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Verb Bake the fish until it flakes easily when tested with a fork.
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
Phrases Containing flake
Kids Definition
flake 1 of 2
noun
ˈflāk
: a small thin flat piece
flake
2 of 2verb
flaked; flaking
: to form or separate into small thin flat pieces
flake 1 of 3
noun (1)
as in chip
a small flat piece separated from a whole sprinkle the cake with coconut flakes Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- chip
- sliver
- splinter
- fragment
- spall
- shard
- sheet
- shred
- splint
- scrap
- bit
- particle
- leaf
- disk
- part
- portion
- clipping
- tatter
- flinders
- section
- slice
- shiver
- disc
- shaving
- shave
- smithereens
- snippet
- paring
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- slab
- lump
- chunk
- hunk
flake
2 of 3noun (2)
as in eccentric
a person of odd or whimsical habits the lady with all those cats is sweet, but kind of a flake Synonyms & Similar Words
- eccentric
- character
- nut
- crack
- crank
- kook
- original
- weirdo
- fruitcake
- crackpot
- freak
- odd duck
- nutter
- screwball
- oddball
- crackbrain
- nutcase
- codger
- maverick
- rarity
- piece of work
- bohemian
- head case
- oddity
- zany
- quiz
- geezer
- coot
- nonconformist
- quixote
- curio
- fantast
- fantastico
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- sheep
- follower
- conformer
- conformist
flake
3 of 3verb
as in to peel
Synonyms & Similar Words
- peel
- scale
- sluff
- slough
- exfoliate
- shed
- slip
- molt
- scrap
- junk
- ditch
- chuck
- discard
- throw away
- unload
- jettison
- throw out
- shuck (off)
- fling (off or away)
- still life
- still lifes
- still liquor
- still pack
- still photograph
- still return
- still water
- still waters run deep
- still-burn
- still-fish
- still-fisher
- still-hunt
- still-hunted
- still-hunting
- still-hunts
- stillage
- stillages
- stillatitious
- stillatories
- stillatory
- Stillbay
- stillbirth
- stillbirths
- stillborn
- stillborner