fluke
1the part of an anchor that catches in the ground, especially the flat triangular piece at the end of each arm.
a barb, or the barbed head, of a harpoon, spear, arrow, or the like.
either half of the triangular tail of a whale.
Origin of fluke
1Other definitions for fluke (2 of 3)
an accidental advantage; stroke of good luck: He got the job by a fluke.
an accident or chance happening.
an accidentally successful stroke, as in billiards.
Origin of fluke
2Other definitions for fluke (3 of 3)
any of several American flounders of the genus Paralichthys, especially P. dentatus, found in the Atlantic Ocean.
any of various other flatfishes.
a trematode.
Origin of fluke
3Other words from fluke
- flukeless, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use fluke in a sentence
At eight o'clock the next morning we got underweigh; but the Dick in weighing her anchor found both flukes broken off.
I saw a whale bend his back and sound and lift his flukes high in the air—one of the wonder sights of the ocean.
Tales of Fishes | Zane GreyThe great flukes of his tail moved with surprising swiftness and the water bulged on the surface.
Tales of Fishes | Zane GreyThe anchor had generally two flukes or teeth, and was then called bidens; but sometimes it had only one.
How Britannia Came to Rule the Waves | W.H.G. KingstonAt one time her anchor was dragged along with a grinding noise, two flukes being broken off.
Notable Voyagers | W.H.G. Kingston and Henry Frith
British Dictionary definitions for fluke (1 of 3)
/ (fluːk) /
Also called: flue a flat bladelike projection at the end of the arm of an anchor
either of the two lobes of the tail of a whale or related animal
Also called: flue the barb or barbed head of a harpoon, arrow, etc
Origin of fluke
1British Dictionary definitions for fluke (2 of 3)
/ (fluːk) /
an accidental stroke of luck
any chance happening
(tr) to gain, make, or hit by a fluke
Origin of fluke
2British Dictionary definitions for fluke (3 of 3)
/ (fluːk) /
any parasitic flatworm, such as the blood fluke and liver fluke, of the classes Monogenea and Digenea (formerly united in a single class Trematoda)
another name for flounder 2 (def. 1)
Origin of fluke
3Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for fluke
[ flōōk ]
Either of the two flattened fins of a whale's tail.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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