Flexing

How to spell flexing

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce flexing

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does flexing mean?

1. verbBending a joint, limb, or material, or tightening a muscle by contracting it.
2. verbInformally, showing off wealth, status, or success to impress others.

Flexing in a sentence

• The physiotherapist watched her flexing the injured knee slowly.

• He was flexing his new sports car all over social media.

• He kept flexing his stiff fingers while waiting at the desk.

• The post felt like she was just flexing about her promotion.

Where does flexing come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word grows from the Latin verb flectere, meaning 'to bend', whose past participle was flexus, 'bent'. English took the shortened stem 'flex' into use in the early 1500s for the act of bending a joint or muscle, and 'flexing' is simply that verb carrying the familiar -ing ending. The same Latin root quietly supplies a family of relatives, including 'reflect' (to bend back), 'inflection' (a bending of the voice or word ending), and 'flexible' (able to be bent). In the late twentieth century the word picked up an informal sense from gym and street culture, where 'flexing' a muscle to show it off became a metaphor for boasting. Because the spelling keeps the original 'flex' intact before -ing, with no doubled consonant and no silent letter, it stays close to its Latin shape and is rarely misspelled.

How the word is built

• flex (from Latin flexus, bent)
• -ing (present participle / gerund suffix)