What does flaked mean?
"Flaked" is the past tense and past participle of the verb "flake," which describes the way materials shed or break into small, thin, flat pieces. Paint flakes from weathered wood, sunburnt skin flakes from the shoulders, and rust flakes from old iron — each case involving layers separating from a surface. In cooking, the word appears frequently in its participial-adjective use: flaked almonds garnish cakes and fish is described as flaking when it separates tenderly along its natural seams. The term also extends into archaeology, where stone tools are said to be shaped by flaking. Informally, especially in North America, "flaked" has taken on a very different life: to have "flaked" on someone is to cancel plans or fail to appear, lending the word a connotation of unreliability. Related slang uses "flaked out" for collapsing into sleep from exhaustion. Versatile across kitchen, workshop, and conversation, it is a small word with surprisingly wide reach.
To have come off or broken away in small thin flat pieces, or to have been broken into such pieces.
"The varnish had flaked away, leaving bare patches on the hull."
Often used with "off" or "away" when describing material detaching from a surface.
Describing something reduced to or consisting of small flat pieces.
"Top the porridge with a handful of flaked almonds."
Informally, to have canceled plans or failed to appear as expected; sometimes, to have fallen asleep from exhaustion.
"He flaked on us again and never showed up at the party."
In slang, saying someone "flaked" on you means they bailed at the last minute — a word that literally means falling apart in pieces now describes plans doing exactly that.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of flaked
The noun "flake" — a small thin piece — is attested in English by the medieval period; its ultimate origin is uncertain, though some scholars link it to Old Norse words such as "flakna" (to split into flakes) or related Germanic roots, while a distinct sense connected to fish-curing may derive from Dutch. The verb "to flake" developed naturally from the noun, first recorded in the early modern period. Its informal modern senses — canceling plans and collapsing from tiredness — are twentieth- and twenty-first-century developments, primarily American.
Related word forms
How flaked is actually used
The literal senses are neutral in tone and common in both cooking and craft/archaeological contexts. The slang sense — flaking on plans — is informal and chiefly North American, carrying a mildly negative connotation of unreliability. "Flaked out" for falling asleep exhausted is casual colloquial English.
Easily confused with flaked
"Flecked" means marked or speckled with tiny spots, while "flaked" means broken into or shedding small flat pieces.
"Flaky" is the adjective meaning tending to flake or, informally, eccentric or unreliable, whereas "flaked" is the verb form describing the act of flaking.