flip-flop

[ flip-flop ]

/ ˈflɪpˌflɒp /

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See synonyms for: flip-flop / flip-flopped / flip-flopping / flip-flops 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 windblown 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.

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Also flip-flap

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

Origin of flip-flop

First recorded in 1655–65

Words nearby flip-flop

Flintshire, flinty, flip, flipbook, flip chart, flip-flop, flip-flopper, flip one's lid, flippant, flipper, flipping

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use flip-flop in a sentence

In a neat line, his agent, beginning a bidding war, promised: “Michiko Kakutani will flip for this.”
What On Earth Is ‘The Affair’ About? Season One’s Baffling Finale|Tim Teeman|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Were you playing up or, on the flip side, shying away from portraying a romantic attraction?
Inside the Lifetime Whitney Houston Movie’s Lesbian Lover Storyline|Kevin Fallon|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The answer is that you flip state legislatures, since in most places, state legislatures draw the congressional district lines.
Seriously, Democrats: You’re Done in Dixie|Michael Tomasky|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
With the freedom of doing that, we were able to do a non-human, flip-y thing.
‘No Regrets’: Peter Jackson Says Goodbye to Middle-Earth|Alex Suskind|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST

So whatever college campuses are doing, they need to flip that script.
Is Columbia Failing Campus Rape Victims?|Lizzie Crocker|November 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Nor could they forget the Sunday mornings when his reverence took his dose of egg-flip before church, in order to clear his voice.
Skipper Worse|Alexander Lange Kielland
Bud turned his hotcakes with a vicious flop that spattered more batter on the stove.
Cabin Fever|B. M. Bower
Caroline, unable decently to go away, gives her gown a sort of flip on one side, as if to produce a separation.
The Petty Troubles of Married Life, Complete|Honore de Balzac
With a deft twist and flip he tossed the open noose over his prisoner's upheld wrists and jerked it tight.
Blazed Trail Stories|Stewart Edward White
Never a flop of tail to indicate gratitude for blandishments, never the faintest symptom of canine appreciation.
In Search of the Unknown|Robert W. Chambers

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

flip-flop

Origin of flip-flop

Words nearby flip-flop

Words related to flip-flop

How to use flip-flop in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for flip-flop

Word Origin for flip-flop