flap

American  

[flap] / flæp /

verb (used without object)

flaps, present (3rd person singular) flapped, past participle, past flapping present participle

1. to swing or sway back and forth loosely, especially with noise.

   A loose shutter flapped outside the window.

2. to move up and down, as wings; flap the wings, or make similar movements.

3. to strike a blow with something broad and flexible.

4. Slang. to become excited or confused, especially under stress.

   a seasoned diplomat who doesn't flap easily.

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verb (used with object)

flaps, present (3rd person singular) flapped, past participle, past flapping present participle

1. to move (wings, arms, etc.) up and down.

2. to cause to swing or sway loosely, especially with noise.

3. to strike with something broad and flat.

4. to toss, fold, shut, etc., smartly, roughly, or noisily.

5. Phonetics. to pronounce (a sound) with articulation resembling that of a flap.

   The British often flap their r's.

noun

flaps plural

1. something flat and broad that is attached at one side only and hangs loosely or covers an opening.

   the flap of an envelope; the flap of a pocket.

2. either of the two segments of a book jacket folding under the book's front and back covers.

3. one leaf of a folding door, shutter, or the like.

4. a flapping motion.

5. the noise produced by something that flaps.

6. a blow given with something broad and flat.

7. Slang.

   1. a state of nervous excitement, commotion, or disorganization.

   2. an emergency situation.

   3. scandal; trouble.

8. Surgery. a portion of skin or flesh that is partially separated from the body and may subsequently be transposed by grafting.

9. Aeronautics. a movable surface used for increasing the lift or drag of an airplane.

10. Phonetics.

    1. a rapid flip of the tongue tip against the upper teeth or alveolar ridge, as in the r -sound in a common British pronunciation of very, or the t -sound in the common American pronunciation of water.

    2. a trill.

    3. a flipping out of the lower lip from a position of pressure against the upper teeth so as to produce an audible pop, as in emphatic utterances containing f -sounds or v -sounds.

11. Building Trades.

    1. Also called backflap hinge.  Also called flap hinge.  a hinge having a strap or plate for screwing to the face of a door, shutter, or the like.

    2. one leaf of a hinge.

flap British  

/ flæp /

verb

1. to move (wings or arms) up and down, esp in or as if in flying, or (of wings or arms) to move in this way

2. to move or cause to move noisily back and forth or up and down

   the curtains flapped in the breeze

3. informal (intr) to become agitated or flustered; panic

4. to deal (a person or thing) a blow with a broad flexible object

5. to toss, fling, slam, etc, abruptly or noisily

6. (tr) phonetics to pronounce (an (r) sound) by allowing the tongue to give a single light tap against the alveolar ridge or uvula

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noun

1. the action, motion, or noise made by flapping

   with one flap of its wings the bird was off

2. a piece of material, etc, attached at one edge and usually used to cover an opening, as on a tent, envelope, or pocket

3. a blow dealt with a flat object; slap

4. a movable surface fixed to the trailing edge of an aircraft wing that increases lift during takeoff and drag during landing

5. surgery a piece of tissue partially connected to the body, either following an amputation or to be used as a graft

6. informal a state of panic, distress, or agitation

7. phonetics an (r) produced by allowing the tongue to give a single light tap against the alveolar ridge or uvula

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• flapless
  adjective
• unflapping
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• flaps
  plural

Participles

• flapping
  present
• flapped
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• flap
  simple
• flaps
  simple
• have flapped
  perfect
• has flapped
  perfect
• am flapping
  progressive
• are flapping
  progressive
• is flapping
  progressive
• have been flapping
  perfect progressive
• has been flapping
  perfect progressive

Past

• flapped
  simple
• had flapped
  perfect
• was flapping
  progressive
• were flapping
  progressive
• had been flapping
  perfect progressive

Future

• will flap
  simple
• will have flapped
  perfect
• will be flapping
  progressive
• will have been flapping
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of flap

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English flappe “a blow, slap,” flappen “to hit, slap”; compare Dutch flap, flappen

Explanation

You're probably familiar with the verb to "flap," which is what birds do with their wings. But as a noun, a flap is a fuss, an argument, or a gossipy feud. A big part of the pleasure of reality TV shows is watching how quickly a person can start a flap. A dumb remark, a furtive glance, a missed phone call: any of these things can start the characters bickering. And the flap can go on for an entire season! One way to remember the meaning of the verb to flap is to imagine the sound of many wings flapping. That's the sound a flap might make if you could hear it. The leak from the senator's press agent might have caused a firestorm. Instead it resulted in just a minor flap.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

flap flaps flapped flapping

The tidal flap first broke in the spring of 2024.

From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026

The flap could become one of the first major challenges for Disney Chief Executive Josh D’Amaro, who succeeded Bob Iger last month.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 27, 2026

Then in the second session, Russell ended up third fastest behind Antonelli and Leclerc after he suffered a broken front wing flap.

From BBC ● Mar. 14, 2026

Less successful was Morgan’s early call to replace a chicken-and-rib combo with a photo of a double pork chop to a prominent position on the menu flap.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 6, 2026

Jack said, trying to climb back up the skin flap but only succeeding in slipping farther down it.

From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley

As the valve tissue degenerates, the thin flaps that should meet neatly can thicken, stretch, or lose their normal shape.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026

On Danielle’s flight to Minnesota, one of the flaps on the plane froze, causing an emergency landing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026

His sculpture, in a shade of teal that’s surprisingly regal, spreads across the ground, flaps of steel straining to lift themselves just inches off the surface as a couple plates have effortfully pulled themselves upright.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026

Parts of the engine appeared to explode at one stage, and flaps on the side of the rocket caught fire and swung from side-to-side.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2025

Opa sits, flaps open the newspaper, mutters about the headlines.

From "The Boy Who Dared" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Rew flapped at the ball gloved down the leg side off Archer, much to the displeasure of the bowler.

From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026

Thai flags flapped in the breeze and barbed wire lay scattered in Klong Paeng, another border village on the Thai military trip.

From Barron's ● Feb. 7, 2026

A U.S. flag flapped on a pole just above a Hanwha company flag.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 10, 2025

"It's blackmail," insists The Edge, the famously unflappable guitarist seeming temporarily flapped.

From BBC ● May 22, 2025

He whistled, and Old Familiar cawed and flapped down out of the air.

From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia

Floridians are flapping over what should be the state bird.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 24, 2026

He added, "I reached in there, and I was able to grab the end of that flapping piece, the already peeling piece. It was still attached to the bottom. I didn't remove anything."

From Barron's ● Jun. 21, 2026

Looking in the rear view mirror of my own car and seeing my dog’s jowls flapping in the breeze as we zoom through Arizona.

From Salon ● Jun. 1, 2026

Hemantha's dismissal – he hit his stumps with his bat flapping at Jamie Overton – summed up a poor Sri Lanka batting display, not that England will care.

From BBC ● Feb. 22, 2026

The fabric awnings rippled in the breeze, producing a sound like the flapping of many wings.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

Related Words

• dangle
• flail
• flop
• hang
• thrash
• vibrate