flops

[ flops ]

/ flɒps /

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noun Computers.

a measure of computer speed, equal to the number of floating-point operations the computer can perform per second (used especially in combination with mega-, giga-, tera-).

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of flops

First recorded in 1985–90; shortening of fl(oating-point) op(erations per) s(econd)

Words nearby flops

flopover, flopperoo, floppers, floppy, floppy disk, flops, flop sweat, Floptical disk, flor-, flora, floral

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

How to use flops in a sentence

To my mind this is nothing compared to the flip-flops done lately by foreigners.
My Coffee Klatch With Rand Paul|P. J. O’Rourke|September 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Sen. Paul has been getting a dunking in the media for his flip-flops on foreign policy.
My Coffee Klatch With Rand Paul|P. J. O’Rourke|September 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
While some parodies end up major flops, the ones that get it right can sometimes outshine their mainstream rivals.
The Art of Smutty Spoofs: Porn Parodies Aren’t a Joke Anymore|Aurora Snow|March 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One can hardly sit on the Rosewood rooftop bar without seeing $200 flip flops and overhearing name and place-dropping.
The Second Life of San Miguel de Allende|Michele Willens|February 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Each arrives with a built-in brand recognition that helps MGM avoid producing massive flops, investors say.
Inside MGM’s Surprising Turnaround: ‘Robocop,’ ‘Bond,’ and ‘The Hobbit’|The Wrap|February 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the loft a boy learns to turn flip-flops, and with a lariat rope he can make a trapeze.
Bill's School and Mine|William Suddards Franklin
An, anyow, wed be better down below an safer out o reach o any shell that flops in while were ere, said another.
Grapes of wrath|Boyd Cable
She lay back in the weak sun with her eyes closed behind her shades, her toes wiggling in her flip-flops.
Little Brother|Cory Doctorow
Then I begun to reel a bit 'n' look faintin'-like, 'n' purty soon I flops right on the floor as ef I was dead.
Tramping with Tramps|Josiah Flynt
If I move her from her place, she flops and sprawls like a half-filled water bottle over the new supporting plane.
The Life of the Fly|J. Henri Fabre

British Dictionary definitions for flops

flops

FLOPS

n acronym for

floating-point operations per second: used as a measure of computer processing power (in combination with a prefix)megaflops; gigaflops

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

flops

Origin of flops

Words nearby flops

Words related to flops

How to use flops in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for flops

FLOPS