flops

American  

[flops] / flɒps /

noun

Computers.

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

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flops British  

acronym

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

   megaflops

   gigaflops

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Etymology

Origin of flops

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

Example Sentences

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

If it’s a mixture of high returns and big flops, he’s cherry-picking stocks without due care.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 20, 2026

It was one of several box-office flops last fall.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

Decade by decade, age by age, the world flip flops between the two.

From Barron's • Jan. 5, 2026

My foot flops against something, and I stumble.

From "X: A Novel" by Ilyasah Shabazz