Illustration of flying buttress
flying buttress
noun
: a masonry structure that typically consists of a straight inclined bar carried on an arch and a solid pier or buttress against which it abuts and that receives the thrust of a roof or vault
Examples of flying buttress in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
That pinning point sustains pressure against the glacier’s interior, like a flying buttress pressing against the wall of a cathedral.
—
Marissa Grunes, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Jan. 2023
The shelf and the sheet help to stabilize each other, like a flying buttress and a cathedral arch.
—David W. Brown, The New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2022
Once upon a time, Americans really only used Madrid as a stopover, maybe spending one night en route to somewhere else—with a broadly recognizable skyline, iconic bridge, flying buttress or other totem easily conjured in the collective imagination.
—Christian L. Wright, WSJ, 29 Apr. 2022
The console takes a page from Corvette with a flying buttress separating driver from passenger — doubling as an Oh, Crap!
—Tribune News Service, cleveland, 5 Mar. 2022
See all Example Sentences for flying buttress 
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of
Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback
about these examples.
Marissa Grunes, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Jan. 2023
The shelf and the sheet help to stabilize each other, like a flying buttress and a cathedral arch.
—David W. Brown, The New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2022
Once upon a time, Americans really only used Madrid as a stopover, maybe spending one night en route to somewhere else—with a broadly recognizable skyline, iconic bridge, flying buttress or other totem easily conjured in the collective imagination.
—Christian L. Wright, WSJ, 29 Apr. 2022
The console takes a page from Corvette with a flying buttress separating driver from passenger — doubling as an Oh, Crap!
—Tribune News Service, cleveland, 5 Mar. 2022
See all Example Sentences for flying buttress
Dictionary Entries Near flying buttress
Cite this Entry
“Flying buttress.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flying%20buttress. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share