flag down
B1 neutral separable transitive
In simple words
To wave your hand at a car or bus to make it stop for you.
Literal meaning: To wave something downward — as if waving a flag down to signal 'stop'.
Meanings
1 B1
idiomatic
neutral
To signal a driver or vehicle to stop, usually by waving one's hand or arm.
"She ran to the edge of the road and managed to flag down a passing taxi."
"He flagged down a cab on Fifth Avenue."
— Common narrative construction in American film and literature; widely used in journalistic style
Grammar: separable
2 B2
idiomatic
informal
To attract someone's attention and signal them to come to you or stop.
"I flagged down the waiter to ask for the bill."
Grammar: separable
Usage notes
Very common in everyday speech. Used for taxis, passing cars, buses, and other vehicles. Often seen in news reports describing police stopping vehicles. 'Flag down a cab' is a very common collocation.
Commonly used with
cab taxi bus car truck motorist driver
Forms
Base
flag down
I/you/we/they
3rd person
flags down
he/she/it
Past simple
flaged down
yesterday
Past participle
flaged down
have + pp
-ing form
flaging down
continuous
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Synonyms
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