flake out
B2 informal intransitive
In simple words
To suddenly fall asleep because you're very tired, or to let someone down by not showing up.
Literal meaning: Like a snowflake — something insubstantial that gives way and falls. The 'unreliable' sense extends this to a person who is flimsy or insubstantial.
Meanings
1 B2
idiomatic
informal
To fall asleep or collapse from exhaustion.
"By nine o'clock she'd flaked out on the sofa — it had been a brutal week."
2 B2
idiomatic
informal
(Chiefly American) To fail to honour a commitment or social arrangement without a good reason.
"He was supposed to help me move, but he flaked out at the last minute."
Usage notes
The 'fall asleep from exhaustion' sense is common in British and American English. The 'cancel plans/be unreliable' sense ('he flaked out on me') is more common in American English and often describes someone who is chronically unreliable. The person is often called a 'flake'.
Commonly used with
exhaustion sofa chair plans commitment
Forms
Base
flake out
I/you/we/they
3rd person
flakes out
he/she/it
Past simple
flaked out
yesterday
Past participle
flaked out
have + pp
-ing form
flaking out
continuous
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Synonyms
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