FLAK

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does flak mean? 

• FLAK (noun)
  The noun FLAK has 3 senses:

1. a slick spokesperson who can turn any criticism to the advantage of their employer

2. intense adverse criticism

3. artillery designed to shoot upward at airplanes

  Familiarity information: FLAK used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• FLAK (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A slick spokesperson who can turn any criticism to the advantage of their employer

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

flack; flack catcher; flak; flak catcher

Hypernyms ("flak" is a kind of...):

interpreter; representative; spokesperson; voice (an advocate who represents someone else's policy or purpose)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Intense adverse criticism

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

attack; blast; fire; flack; flak

Context example:

don't give me any flak

Hypernyms ("flak" is a kind of...):

criticism; unfavorable judgment (disapproval expressed by pointing out faults or shortcomings)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Artillery designed to shoot upward at airplanes

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

ack-ack; ack-ack gun; antiaircraft; antiaircraft gun; flack; flak; pom-pom

Hypernyms ("flak" is a kind of...):

gun (a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel))

Meronyms (parts of "flak"):

predictor (a computer for controlling antiaircraft fire that computes the position of an aircraft at the instant of a shell's arrival)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "flak"):

Bofors gun (an automatic double-barreled antiaircraft gun)