flops
Americannoun
acronym
Etymology
Origin of flops
First recorded in 1985–90; shortening of fl(oating-point) op(erations per) s(econd)
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.
Sony has also made Spider-Man villain spinoffs including the hit “Venom” trilogy and flops like “Madame Web” and “Kraven the Hunter.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
One asylum seeker sprinted into the courthouse, hours after her early morning hearing appointment in early June, her flip flops barely holding together as she frantically ran up and down the hallway.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
The only big budget flops of summer have been Disney’s “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu,” which fell dramatically after a solid start, and Amazon.com’s 1980s toy adaptation “Masters of the Universe.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026
Perhaps the next couple of months could be spent courting record labels and songwriters, instead of leaning on Thomas Stengaard, the Danish musician who co-wrote our last two flops.
From BBC ● May 17, 2026
The pizza flops onto the floor and zips across the tile, under two tables and several chairs, around a cooler full of drinks, and into the darkest corner of Giardini’s.
From "Invisible Inkling" by Emily Jenkins
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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.