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flag down

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flag someone or something down

to signal or wave, indicating that someone should stop. Please go out and flag a taxi down. I'll be right out. She went to flag down a taxi.

See also: down, flag

flag down somebody/something

also flag somebody/something down

to signal someone or something to stop by waving A police officer flagged us down to check our vehicle registration and date of inspection.

See also: down, flag

flag down

Signal to stop, as in The police were flagging down all cars. This expression uses the verb flag in the sense of "catch the attention of, as by waving a flag," a usage dating from the mid-1800s; down was added in the first half of the 1900s.

See also: down, flag

flag down

v.

To signal something or someone to stop: I flagged down a taxi when it started raining. When we ran out of gas, we flagged the police officer down to ask for help.

See also: down, flag