/ fleks; NAmE / verb , noun
■ verb
to bend, move or stretch an arm or a leg, or contract a muscle, especially in order to prepare for a physical activity :
[ vn ]
to flex your fingers / feet / legs
He stood on the side of the pool flexing his muscles.
[also v ]
•
IDIOMS
- flex your muscles
■ noun
( BrE ) (also cord NAmE , BrE ) [ C , U ] a piece of wire that is covered with plastic, used for carrying electricity to a piece of equipment :
an electric flex
a length of flex
••
WORD ORIGIN
verb early 16th cent.: from Latin flex- bent, from the verb flectere .
noun early 20th cent.: abbreviation of flexible .