Phrasal verb
flag up
Definition
phrasal verb. to mention something so that other people notice it or deal with it.
phrasal verb. to draw attention to a specific issue, fact, or problem for further consideration; often used in professional or administrative contexts to indicate a need for action.
Examples
“I want to flag up a small problem with the schedule.”
“The auditor decided to flag up several inconsistent entries in the company's financial reports.”
“During the preliminary briefing, the lead researcher took a moment to flag up potential ethical concerns regarding the data collection methods.”
Examples
simple
“I want to flag up a small problem with the schedule.”
contextual
“The auditor decided to flag up several inconsistent entries in the company's financial reports.”
complex
“During the preliminary briefing, the lead researcher took a moment to flag up potential ethical concerns regarding the data collection methods.”
Usage
commonly used in British professional environments; the object can be placed after 'up' or between 'flag' and 'up'.
Teaching tip
this is a useful alternative to 'point out' or 'highlight' in workplace English; note its strong association with British English compared to the American preference for 'flag' alone.
Pitfall
He flagged the issue out to his boss.
He flagged the issue up to his boss.
the correct particle for this meaning of highlighting an issue is 'up', not 'out'.
Phrasal verb
Particles
up
Separability
optional
Pattern
flag + up + object
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/flag-up