flop
1 Americanverb (used without object)
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flops,
present (3rd person singular)
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flopped,
past participle, past
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flopping
present participle
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to fall or plump down suddenly, especially with noise; drop or turn with a sudden bump or thud (sometimes followed bydown ).
The puppy flopped down on the couch.
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to change suddenly, as from one side or party to another (often followed byover ).
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to be a complete failure; fail.
The play flopped dismally.
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Informal. to sleep or be lodged.
to flop at a friend's house.
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to swing loosely; bounce; flap.
His long hair flops in his eyes when he runs.
verb (used with object)
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flops,
present (3rd person singular)
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flopped,
past participle, past
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flopping
present participle
-
to drop with a sudden bump or thud.
He flopped his books on a chair.
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to dispose (oneself ) in a heavily negligent manner.
to flop oneself in a chair.
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to invert (the negative of a photograph) so that the right and left sides are transposed.
noun
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an act of flopping.
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the sound of flopping; a thud.
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a failure.
The new comedy was a flop.
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Informal. a place to sleep; temporary lodging.
The mission offered a flop and a free breakfast.
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Basketball. an exaggerated or dramatic fall intended to persuade officials to penalize the opposing team for a foul.
His comically oversold flop didn’t fool the referees at all.
noun
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flops
plural
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Computers. flops.
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Mathematics. a single mathematical operation involving floating-point numbers.
verb
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(intr) to bend, fall, or collapse loosely or carelessly
his head flopped backwards
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to fall, cause to fall, or move with a sudden noise
the books flopped onto the floor
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informal (intr) to fail; be unsuccessful
the scheme flopped
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(intr) to fall flat onto the surface of water, hitting it with the front of the body
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slang to go to sleep
noun
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the act of flopping
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informal a complete failure
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slang a place to sleep
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athletics See Fosbury flop
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poker the first three community cards dealt face-up in a round of any of several varieties of poker, including Texas hold 'em
Usage
What does flop mean? To flop is to plump down or fall suddenly, often making a noise, as in After the long hike, Sasha flopped on the grass to rest. To flop can also mean to drop something with a sudden bump, as in Dola flopped her books to the floor to make room on the desk. To flop also means to fail completely, as in The new play flopped because the actors didn’t know their lines and no one came after opening night. Flop can be used as a noun to refer to any of these actions, as well. Example: I flopped on the couch after a long day of work.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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flopsimple
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flopssimple
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have floppedperfect
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has floppedperfect
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am floppingprogressive
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are floppingprogressive
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is floppingprogressive
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have been floppingperfect progressive
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has been floppingperfect progressive
Past
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floppedsimple
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had floppedperfect
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was floppingprogressive
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were floppingprogressive
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had been floppingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of flop
First recorded in 1595–1605; variant of flap; flop def. 11 was first recorded in 1890–95.
Explanation
To flop is to drop or hang heavily and loosely. If you're exhausted at the end of the day, you might flop into a chair as soon as you walk into your house. Your long hair might flop into your eyes, and if you catch a fish, you'll have to watch it flop around in your boat before it stops breathing. A tired child might begin to sob and flop onto the floor in frustration. You can also call a disaster a flop: "We worked so hard on that play, but it turned out to be a total flop." The earliest meaning of flop was "to flap."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"Everybody told me it would be a flop," he recalled.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
Even Oscar-winning directors like Francis Ford Coppola and Kevin Costner have funded movies that flop, which is why newcomers typically look for experienced partners to limit risk.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
For one, it was a blast of cold coffee to the face to realize that what qualifies as a career-derailing flop in 2006 meets or beats the quality of most made-for-Netflix features.
From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2026
Houston Astros: Correa, whose second act with Houston has been a flop because of injuries, was working on an accelerated comeback from May ankle surgery.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
I flop over onto my belly and snuggle into my blankets.
From "A Good Kind of Trouble" by Lisa Moore Ramée
Portland’s Toumani Camara and Morant were also whistled for flops, and all of the calls came in the fourth quarter of a tight game that saw 52 total personal fouls and 71 free throws.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
The film's takings relative to its budget mean it could become one of the biggest film flops in Hollywood history.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
Dyson pushed for the 1985 recipe change that led to New Coke, which became one of the biggest flops in marketing history before the company recovered.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
Because you can bank on the fact that, in L.A., people won’t turn up or tune in for flops and failure.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
She flops onto her back and exhales toward the ceiling.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
Earlier this week, a South Korean data center IPO flopped, falling more than 30% on its debut.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
The bookish thriller "Verity" cleaned up in its North American box office debut this weekend while Tom Cruise flopped in "Digger" playing a rich old guy who thinks he can save the world.
From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026
Offerings like last year’s McCrispy chicken strips had flopped, Saleh added.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
Slow down your shopping habits: Shein debuted on the Hong Kong stock market earlier this month—and it flopped.
From Slate ● Sep. 16, 2026
His tail flopped over the back of the chair, and from one of his ears dangled a jewel that looked like a small crown.
From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi
Lillard nailed the shot from the wing and tacked on a technical free throw when play was stopped for Williams’ flopping call.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
NBA officials have placed a larger emphasis on flopping this season, along with limiting use of off-arm force against defenders, reckless closeouts and time wasting on free throws.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
Which of those three possibilities—the story flopping, working, or backfiring—emerges is an important barometer of where we stand in 2026, and whether the truth still has any purchase in our modern era.
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026
That’s not to say all is flopping now for Zaslav and team: Wuthering Heights and Evil Dead Burn did pretty well, while the upcoming Dune: Part Three is already wreaking box-office havoc.
From Slate ● Sep. 1, 2026
Cotton jumped over puddles of muddy water while Wishbone scampered along behind him, ears flopping and tail wagging.
From "Wish" by Barbara O'Connor
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