- "The rapper was driving around the ghetto flexing his new sportscar."
Flex
other word formation type Metaphorical change in meaning as well as a generalization of meaning.; verb It is an action.
"To flex" is to show off what one has to others to invoke envy or admiration from others. This is specifically used in context of expensive luxuries, such as cars or jewelry. The word "flex" literally means "to bend a limb", but over time has been specified to bending a limb in a way to make a muscle tense. This meaning has metaphorically to associated with the idea of showing off a muscle and in this case has again been metaphorically generalized to simply "showing off".
Etymology : "Flex" as a verb meaning "to bend a limb" probably comes from a back-formation of the word "flexible" in the 1520s. "Flexible" is from the early 15th century from the Middle French word "flexible" or directly from the Latin adjective "flexibilis" meaning "that may be bent".
Source : Friend. September 27th 2013.
Last modified: 24 November 2013