Meanings
present singular third person flexes one's muscles · participle present flexing one's muscles · participle past flexed one's muscles · past flexed one's muscles
- figurativelyTo show off one's strength or skills.
Gomez's goals were his 10th and 11th of the season but only Hart's excellence prevented that total being extended, as the four-time European Cup winners flexed their muscles.
2011 September 27, Alistair Magowan, “Bayern Munich 2 - 0 Man City”, in BBC Sport1 more example
But at a time of a growing perception in the West that China is flexing its muscles [...], countries closer to China’s shores also worry that it might be getting more assertive.
2010 January 21, “Choppy waters”, in The Economist
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 秀肌肉
- 秀肌肉 (xiù jīròu)to tense and bend one's flexor muscles
Finnish verrytellä, pullistella
- verrytelläto tense and bend one's flexor muscles
- pullistellato tense and bend one's flexor muscles
- pullistellato make a show of strength
German Muskeln spielen lassen
- Muskeln spielen lassento make a show of strength
Polish prężyć muskuły, prężyć muskuły
- prężyć muskułyto tense and bend one's flexor muscles
- prężyć muskułyto make a show of strength
Russian напряга́ть му́скулы, изгиба́ть мы́шцы
- напряга́ть му́скулы (naprjagátʹ múskuly)to tense and bend one's flexor muscles
- изгиба́ть мы́шцы (izgibátʹ mýšcy)to tense and bend one's flexor muscles
- игра́ть му́скулами (igrátʹ múskulami)to make a show of strength
- демонстри́ровать си́лу (demonstrírovatʹ sílu)to make a show of strength
Cite this entry
flex one's muscles. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/flex%20one's%20muscles
“flex one's muscles.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/flex%20one's%20muscles. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “flex one's muscles,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/flex%20one's%20muscles.
Source: flex one's muscles on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.