flip-flop

[flip-flop]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR flip-flop ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Informal. a sudden or unexpected reversal, as of direction, belief, attitude, or policy.

a backward somersault.

Also called flip-flop circuit. Electronics. an electronic circuit having two stable conditions, each one corresponding to one of two alternative input signals.

any of several similar devices having two alternative states, the change of state being caused by some input signal or by some change of input.

the sound and motion of something flapping, as a wind-blown shutter; a banging to and fro.

any backless, usually open-toed flat shoe or slipper.

a flat, backless rubber sandal, usually secured on the foot by a thong between the first two toes, as for use at a beach, swimming pool, etc.Compare thong, zori.

(in advertising) a display or presentation, usually on an easel, consisting of a series of pages hinged at the top and flipped over in sequence.

adverb

with repeated sounds and motions, as of something flapping.

verb (used without object), flip-flopped, flip-flop·ping.

Informal. to make a sudden or unexpected reversal, as of direction, belief, attitude, or policy: The opposition claimed that the president had flip-flopped on certain issues.

to execute a backward somersault.

to flap; bang to and fro: The door flip-flopped in the high wind.

Also flip-flap

[flip-flap] /ˈflɪpˌflæp/ (for defs 2, 5, 9, 12), flip·flop (for defs 6, 7).

Origin of flip-flop

First recorded in 1655–65

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for flip-flop

Contemporary Examples of flip-flop

Everyone dressed appropriately and even impeccably—not a flip-flop in sight.
The Exciting-but-Depressing Obama-Tumblr Student-Loan Summit
Kelly Williams Brown
June 11, 2014
Even Mitt Romney waited more than two years to flip-flop on key issues.
‘Bridgegate’ Won’t Be the End of Christie 2016, but the DREAM Act Could Be
Dean Obeidallah
January 8, 2014
Earnest attempts at spin aside, the facts lead directly to accusations of a flip-flop.
Holder, Carney Under Attack as Scandal-Gate Widens
John Avlon
May 14, 2013
The press would blow the whistle on this naked opportunism, and the flip-flop police would beat him senseless.
The New Era of Evolution Helps Pols Switch Stance on Issues from Gay Marriage to Immigration
Howard Kurtz
April 3, 2013
For Leibler, there is more at stake in the last minute flip-flop than a single U.N. resolution.
Throwing Netanyahu Under Abbas
Mark Baker
December 7, 2012

Historical Examples of flip-flop

That fellow certainly turned a flip-flop, when he found out who we were.
The Boy Aviators in Africa
Wilbur Lawton
The flip-flop of the fish sounded distinctly in that quiet place.
Poor Man's Rock
Bertrand W. Sinclair
"Nothing," she said, making a flip-flop into the thistles and dancing among them without feeling their sharp points.
The Lost Princess of Oz
L. Frank Baum
Dan broke off and almost retched as his stomach turned a flip-flop to end all flip-flops.
Shipwreck in the Sky
Eando Binder
At first he couldn't stand up on his head at all, just turning over in a sort of flip-flop every time he tried.
Uncle Wiggily in Wonderland
Howard R. Garis

British Dictionary definitions for flip-flop

flip-flop

noun

a backward handspring

Also called: bistable an electronic device or circuit that can assume either of two stable states by the application of a suitable pulse

informal, mainly US a complete change of opinion, policy, etc

a repeated flapping or banging noise

Also called (US, Canadian, Austral, and NZ): thong a rubber-soled sandal attached to the foot by a thong between the big toe and the next toe

verb -flops, -flopping or -flopped (intr)

informal, mainly US to make a complete change of opinion, policy, etc

to move with repeated flaps

adverb

with repeated flappingsto go flip-flop

Word Origin for flip-flop

C16: reduplication of flip

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for flip-flop

also flip flop, "thong sandal," by 1972, imitative of the sound of walking in them (flip-flap had been used in various echoic senses, mostly echoic, since 1520s); sense of "complete reversal of direction" dates from 1900.

Flip-flaps, a peculiar rollicking dance indulged in by costermongers, better described as the double shuffle; originally a kind of somersault. [Hotten's Slang Dictionary, 1864]

flip-flop

noun

adverb

verb (used without object), flip-flopped, flip-flop·ping.

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Origin of flip-flop

Examples from the Web for flip-flop

Contemporary Examples of flip-flop

Historical Examples of flip-flop

flip-flop

noun

verb -flops, -flopping or -flopped (intr)

adverb

Word Origin for flip-flop