false flag noun 2verb 1forms 4 noun2 •A ruse, in the days of sail, in which an attacking ship would fly the colours of its enemy until close enough to open fire. •A diversionary or propaganda tactic of deceiving an adversary into thinking that an operation was carried out by another party.The US has made noncommittal statements so far. Meanwhile, many experts on Russia have raised the possibility that the strike could have been a false-flag operation from Moscow. — 2023 verb1 •(informal) To target someone or something with a false flag or ruse.He instinctively false-flagged Arthur's information. There was no reason to expose the CIA or one of its deep-cover agents. — 1992 formsfalse flagged · false flagging · false flags · false-flags
