belly flop
noun
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
Jeff Gordinier
belly flop
intransitive verb
Examples of belly flop in a Sentence
She did a belly flop into the pool.
Recent Examples on the Web
On splashdown, the rocket tipped over and belly flopped into the sea as expected, broke apart and exploded as left over propellants ignited.
—William Harwood, CBS News, 22 May 2026
Maybe that Great White shark out there did a big ol' belly flop?
—Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
To his credit, Johnson addressed the movie’s belly flop at the box office with candor and with maturity.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 12 Nov. 2025
In Episode 2, wouldn’t tech-savvy Claudette have a proper iPhone case that would survive a three-story belly flop?
—Nick Caruso, TVLine, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for belly flop
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William Harwood, CBS News, 22 May 2026
Maybe that Great White shark out there did a big ol' belly flop?
—Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
To his credit, Johnson addressed the movie’s belly flop at the box office with candor and with maturity.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 12 Nov. 2025
In Episode 2, wouldn’t tech-savvy Claudette have a proper iPhone case that would survive a three-story belly flop?
—Nick Caruso, TVLine, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for belly flop
Cite this Entry
“Belly flop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/belly%20flop. Accessed 3 Jun. 2026.
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