Flank vs. Plank — What's the Difference?

The side of a person's or animal's body between the ribs and the hip

A piece of lumber cut thicker than a board.

The right or left side of a body of people such as an army, a naval force, or a soccer team

Such pieces of lumber considered as a group; planking.

Be on each or on one side of

A foundation; a support.

The section of flesh on the body of a person or an animal between the last rib and the hip; the side.

One of the articles of a political platform.

A cut of meat from the flank of an animal.

To furnish or cover with planks

A lateral part or side

To bake or broil and serve (fish or meat) on a plank

The right or left side of a military formation

To put or set down emphatically or with force.

The right or left side of a bastion.

A long, broad and thick piece of timber, as opposed to a board which is less thick.

To protect or guard the flank of.

(figurative) A political issue that is of concern to a faction or a party of the people and the political position that is taken on that issue.

To menace or attack the flank of.

Physical exercise in which one holds a pushup position for a measured length of time.

To be placed or situated at the flank or side of

A stupid person, idiot.

To put (something) on each side of

That which supports or upholds.

(transitive) To attack the flank(s) of.

(transitive) To cover something with planking.

(transitive) To defend the flank(s) of.

(transitive) To bake (fish, etc.) on a piece of cedar lumber.

(transitive) To place to the side(s) of.

To lay down, as on a plank or table; to stake or pay cash.

(intransitive) To be placed to the side(s) of something (usually in terms of two objects, one on each side).

(transitive) To harden, as hat bodies, by felting.

(anatomy) The flesh between the last rib and the hip; the side.

To splice together the ends of slivers of wool, for subsequent drawing.

(cooking) A cut of meat from the flank of an animal.

(intransitive) To pose for a photograph while lying rigid, face down, arms at side, in an unusual place.

(military) The extreme left or right edge of a military formation, army etc.

A broad piece of sawed timber, differing from a board only in being thicker. See Board.

(military) The sides of a bastion perpendicular to the wall from which the bastion projects.

Fig.: That which supports or upholds, as a board does a swimmer.

The side of something, in general senses.

One of the separate articles in a declaration of the principles of a party or cause; as, a plank in the national platform.

The outermost strip of a road.

To cover or lay with planks; as, to plank a floor or a ship.

(soccer) The wing, one side of the pitch.

To lay down, as on a plank or table; to stake or pay cash; as, to plank money in a wager.

That part of the acting surface of a gear wheel tooth that lies within the pitch line.

To harden, as hat bodies, by felting.

Maximum. Historically faster than full speed (the most a vessel can sustain without excessive engine wear or risk of damage), now frequently used interchangeably. Typically used in an emergency or during an attack.

To splice together the ends of slivers of wool, for subsequent drawing.

The fleshy or muscular part of the side of an animal, between the ribs and the hip. See Illust. of Beef.

A stout length of sawn timber; made in a wide variety of sizes and used for many purposes

The side of an army, or of any division of an army, as of a brigade, regiment, or battalion; the extreme right or left; as, to attack an enemy in flank is to attack him on the side.

An endorsed policy in the platform of a political party

That part of a bastion which reaches from the curtain to the face, and defends the curtain, the flank and face of the opposite bastion; any part of a work defending another by a fire along the outside of its parapet.

Cover with planks;

The side of any building.

Set (something or oneself) down with or as if with a noise;

That part of the acting surface of a gear wheel tooth that lies within the pitch line.

Cook and serve on a plank;

To stand at the flank or side of; to border upon.

To overlook or command the flank of; to secure or guard the flank of; to pass around or turn the flank of; to attack, or threaten to attack; the flank of.

To border; to touch.

To be posted on the side.

The side of military or naval formation;

A subfigure consisting of a side of something

A cut from the fleshy part of an animal's side between the ribs and the leg

The side between ribs and hipbone

Be located at the sides of something or somebody