belly flop

Definition of belly flop

1 : a dive (as into water or in coasting prone on a sled) in which the front of the body strikes flat against another surface

— called also belly flopper

2 : a complete and often painful or embarrassing failure : flop … instead of doing a belly flop at the box office, Vampire soared …— Jeff Gordinier

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Examples of belly flop in a Sentence

She did a belly flop into the pool.

Recent Examples on the Web Perhaps most impressively, the unprecedented belly flop maneuver and demonstration of Starship's aerodynamics bode extremely well for the company's plans to reuse the vehicle. — Eric Berger, Ars Technica, "So, it turns out SpaceX is pretty good at rocketing," 10 Dec. 2020 By executing a belly flop, Starship can more accurately control its landing using its fins. — Daniel Oberhaus, Wired, "SpaceX Launches—and Crashes—Its Starship Mars Rocket," 9 Dec. 2020 Another week, another belly flop by Mike Leach’s offense in a 28-14 loss to Texas A&M, which might set an all-time college football record for a fan base souring on a first-year coach. — Dan Wolken, USA TODAY, "Opinion: Central Florida, the self-proclaimed national power, no longer to be feared," 18 Oct. 2020 Lee, who secured her spot in the play-off with an incredible chip-in eagle on the 18th, celebrated her victory by leaping into Poppie's Pond with her caddie Matt Gelczis, who performed a spectacular belly flop into the water. — Matias Grez, CNN, "Mirim Lee wins first golf major with victory at the ANA Inspiration," 14 Sep. 2020 Jets — Tristan Wirfs, OT, Iowa: Whatever free agency splash GM Joe Douglas was expected to make on the offensive line actually amounted to a belly flop. — Michael Middlehurst-schwartz, USA TODAY, "NFL mock draft 2020: Patriots land Tom Brady's replacement at QB after free agency, trades shake up first round," 19 Mar. 2020 There’s no bigger thrill than the crisp clap of a massive belly flop made by an actual massive belly. — Erik Piepenburg, New York Times, "Spriiiing Breeeak, at Home," 19 Mar. 2020 Lure maker Gary Yamamoto designed the Senko to fall horizontally, in a long, squiggly belly flop, which is more natural than the nose-down attitude most soft-plastic baits assume. — John Merwin, Field & Stream, "Senko Tactics: Catch Huge Spring Bass Wacky-Style or Weighted," 22 May 2019 Players have more of mixed feelings on the baseball layout, with former running back Justin Forsett comparing falling on the dirt at the Coliseum to belly flopping on pavement. — Adam Renuart, CNN, "Raiders to play final game in Oakland Coliseum," 15 Dec. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'belly flop.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

30 Dec 2020

Cite this Entry

“Belly flop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/belly%20flop. Accessed 23 Jan. 2021.

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