flop
1 Americanverb (used without object)
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flops,
present (3rd person singular)
-
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)
-
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
For an artist as formidable as Scorsese, a flop means nothing.
From Salon ● Oct. 29, 2026
A movie adaptation directed by Michael Mann, also called “Miami Vice,” came out in 2006 but was a box-office flop, The Times reported at the time.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
This 1980s box-office flop is inspiring cross-country pilgrimages and crashing websites.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026
I flop onto my other side, pulling my comforter up over me.
From "Amina's Voice" by Hena Khan
He was alone and wearing light summer clothing, including shorts and flip flops.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
The reformulated New Coke—launched in 1985, to replace the old version—was one of the biggest flops in marketing history.
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
To be sure, Thrive has invested in its share of flops over the years, including the massively hyped Fab e-commerce platform; and Juicero, which sold an overly complicated high-tech countertop juice press.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026
The little creature flops down on a nearby cushion, her legs splaying in all directions.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
But he’s also targeting her now because his previous attempt to fire her flopped.
From Slate ● Oct. 9, 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
Sure, “Dune” infamously flopped hard upon arrival, and all planned sequels were immediately canceled.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
Offerings like last year’s McCrispy chicken strips had flopped, Saleh added.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
In my room, I flopped onto my bed and unlocked my new phone.
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
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
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
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
He looks at me, a long tuft of black hair flopping over his forehead.
From "The Fourteenth Goldfish" by Jennifer L. Holm
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