flip
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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to toss or put in motion with a sudden impulse, as with a snap of a finger and thumb, especially so as to cause to turn over in the air.
to flip a coin.
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to move (something) suddenly or jerkily.
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to turn over, especially with a short rapid gesture.
to flip pancakes with a spatula.
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to cause to switch from one political party or candidate to another.
Republicans flipped the Senate and increased their majority in the House.
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Slang.
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to provide incriminating evidence about (an associate or accomplice); inform on.
I only work with people I know won’t flip me.
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to turn into an informer.
The prosecutor will try to flip the defendant in exchange for a reduced sentence.
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to buy and sell (real estate or another asset) for a quick profit.
The buyer flipped the house for double what he paid for it, just nine months after renovations were completed.
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to change (an opinion, stance, or way of thinking).
Federal courts had ruled the practice unconstitutional, but an appeals judge flipped the decision.
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Slang. to make (someone) insane, irrational, angry, or highly excited (usually followed byout ).
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Finance. to resell, especially quickly, or to refinance, as a mortgage loan.
verb (used without object)
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to make a flicking movement; strike at something smartly or sharply; snap.
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to move oneself with or as if with flippers.
The seals flipped along the beach.
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to move with a jerk or jerks.
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to turn over or perform a somersault in the air.
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to switch from one political party or candidate to another: Last November, most state legislatures saw fewer than five seats flip one way or the other.
Formerly Democratic, our state has flipped to become red.
Last November, most state legislatures saw fewer than five seats flip one way or the other.
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Slang to provide incriminating evidence about an associate or accomplice; inform on.
They wanted me to flip on the guy who sold me the drugs.
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to change one’s opinion, stance, or way of thinking.
The CEO has been accused of flipping on the issue of employee vacation time.
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to shift from one state, position, etc., to another.
My mood seems to flip 180 degrees without any obvious triggers.
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Slang.
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to react to something in an excited, astonished, or delighted manner.
He really flipped over his new girlfriend.
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to become insane, irrational, angry, or highly excited (often followed byout ).
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noun
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an instance of flipping; a smart tap or strike.
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a sudden jerk.
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a somersault, especially one performed in the air.
a back flip off the diving board.
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Cards. a variety of seven-card stud in which each player receives the first four cards facedown and selects two of them to expose before receiving the next card.
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Slang. flip side.
idioms
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flip one's lid / wig, lid.
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flip (someone) the bird, give (someone) the finger.
noun
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a mixed drink made with liquor or wine, sugar, and egg, topped with powdered nutmeg and served hot or cold.
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a drink, popular especially in the 18th century, made with beer or ale mixed with rum or other liquor, sweetened and served hot.
adjective
verb
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to throw (something light or small) carelessly or briskly; toss
he flipped me an envelope
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to throw or flick (an object such as a coin) so that it turns or spins in the air
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to propel by a sudden movement of the finger; flick
to flip a crumb across the room
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(foll by through) to read or look at (a book, newspaper, etc) quickly, idly, or incompletely
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(intr) (of small objects) to move or bounce jerkily
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(intr) to make a snapping movement or noise with the finger and thumb
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slang (intr) to fly into a rage or an emotional outburst (also in the phrases flip one's lid, flip one's top, flip out )
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slang (intr) to become ecstatic or very excited
he flipped over the jazz group
noun
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a snap or tap, usually with the fingers
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a rapid jerk
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a somersault, esp one performed in the air, as in a dive, rather than from a standing position
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same as nog 1
adjective
Usage
Where does flip come from? When it comes to studying the origins of words, it’s easy to overlook—and take for granted—everyday, unassuming words, like flip. But oftentimes, the story behind these most basic of words can provide great insights into how words work. Flip is first recorded around 1585–95. It appears to be related to, and may even be a contraction of, the word fillip. This word means “to strike with the nail of a finger snapped from the end of the thumb.” Compared to flip, fillip is less common but older, recorded around 1425–75. While the ultimate origin of fillip is unknown, etymologists think the word is what’s called expressive. While imitative words evoke the actual sound of a word being defined (boom), the sound of expressive words can conjure up a particular emotion, sensation, shape, movement, and so on. So, a word like fillip evokes the movement involved in the action of fillipping. Try flipping—or filliping—your thumb and index finger. Can you hear how the words evoke such finger flicking? And use of the word flick is no accident here. Flick is very similar in sense and form, imitating the sound of flicking something. Dig deeperLike flick, the word flip also brings to mind flop, as in flip-flop and its variant, flip-flap. Flop itself originates as a variant of flap. Flip-flops, like the kind of sandals you might wear at the pool, are so named for the sound they make when you walk in them. Flip, flap, flop, flick—the initial cluster, fl-, in English is associated with flittering, fluttering, flitting motion. This relationship between the sound fl- and the meaning of unsteady movement is called sound symbolism. Sound symbolism is the “nonarbitrary connection between phonetic features of linguistic items and their meanings, as in the frequent occurrence of close vowels in words denoting smallness, as petite and teeny-weeny.”One commonly cited example of sound symbolism in English is how many words dealing with light begin with the cluster gl-: glance, glare, glimmer, glitter, and glimpse, to name a few. Can you think of other words to add to this list?One the most familiar forms of sound symbolism is onomatopoeia, the formation of a word, as cuckoo, meow, honk, or boom, by imitation of a sound made by or associated with its referent.
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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flipsimple
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flipssimple
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have flippedperfect
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has flippedperfect
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am flippingprogressive
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are flippingprogressive
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is flippingprogressive
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have been flippingperfect progressive
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has been flippingperfect progressive
Past
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flippedsimple
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had flippedperfect
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was flippingprogressive
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were flippingprogressive
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had been flippingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of flip1
First recorded in 1585–95; 1955–60 flip 1 for def. 18; see origin at fillip
Origin of flip2
First recorded in 1690–1700; perhaps noun use of flip 1, so called from tossing or flipping of ingredients in preparation
Origin of flip3
First recorded in 1840–50; adjective use of flip 1
Explanation
To flip is to turn or toss upside down, like flipping a mattress over. People flip out when excited, and a flip remark is disrespectful. There are many types of flips and flipping. Gymnasts who turn themselves upside down are doing flips. Turning a pancake over is flipping it. Any quick, light motion can be described as a flip, like a quarterback flipping the ball to a receiver. When someone is extremely excited — and usually mad — they flip out. Also, flip comments are casual, quick, and disrespectful.
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:
The flip side is the energy starvation has led to some interesting battles, known as "yo-yo racing", with cars swapping positions repeatedly over a number of laps.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
“It’s made stocks extraordinarily expensive on all sorts of measures, and on the flip side, it’s made bonds cheap on many,” Elliott says.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
Maybe Congress should flip their approach: Enforce strict consequences after a violation occurs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
The flip side is societal pressure when they aim to be ambitious despite all the hurdles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
I flip onto my side and dig through my backpack for earphones.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
This one, a 200-plus-pounder named Meatloaf, similarly suffered a flipper injury.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2026
She has been recovering for three months since her first surgery to save her flipper and has shown promising improvement, though her journey is far from over.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2026
Before her, there was Porkchop, who was also rescued from the San Gabriel River with similar front flipper injuries.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2026
She ultimately had to have her flipper amputated, according to Jaros.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2026
“Can you understand me, Seth? Slap your flipper three times if you grasp what I am saying.”
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
His code is the survival of the flippest, and he talks a lingo as forthright and gamy, in its way, as a soldier’s.
From Time ● Jan. 27, 2015
His code is the survival of the flippest, and he talks a lingo as forthright and gamy, in its way, as a soldier's.
From Time Magazine Archive
But the show doesn’t start until the 79-year-old De Shields nattily flips his jacket open, to the approving roar of the audience.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Later, sitting on an aluminum bench in one of her many-tiered patios, she flips between a blank page and another in which a serpent curves across a cerulean plane.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
Either the system remains unchanged, which is the behavior of bosons, or the system flips sign, which is what happens with fermions.
From Science Daily ● May 9, 2026
“However, by the early 2030s this ratio flips, requiring Woodside’s focus and capability to grow in the International division,” UBS says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026
Zoey traps the ball with her heel, flips it up, and starts juggling again.
From "A High Five for Glenn Burke" by Phil Bildner
The midscale category was declining last year, but has flipped to growth of 4% to 6% this year, he tells analysts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
A video taken shortly before her rescue showed Jackie sparring with two younger eagles, as she flipped on her back to ward them off with her talons.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Initial signs are that the ship flipped over after being hit by a big wave, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill said on Facebook.
From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026
After months of sounding the alarm on potential Federal Reserve interest-rate increases, the script suddenly flipped in the $30 trillion U.S.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
Only after the longest minute, James flipped up his hands.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
A simple comparison is repeatedly flipping a coin to decide whether to move one way or another.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026
To top it all off, the star was gifted a pair of game-worn boots by his idol, external, Cristiano Ronaldo., external A flipping good result.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
A few years ago, he was flipping burgers in L.A., working at Starbucks, and taking whatever jobs he could find in the film or TV industry to make ends meet.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
If the bar is too high, flipping the switch may be difficult.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
She reopens the book, flipping past the Black Book entry until she lands on a new page:
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
