flap

play

noun \ ˈflap \

Definition of flap

1 :a stroke with something broad :slap

2 obsolete :something broad and flat used for striking

3 :something that is broad, limber, or flat and usually thin and that hangs loose or projects freely: such as

a :a piece on a garment that hangs free

b :a part of a book jacket that folds under the book's cover

c :a piece of tissue partly severed from its place of origin for use in surgical grafting

d :an extended part forming the closure (as of an envelope or carton)

4 :the motion of something broad and limber (such as a sail or wing)

5 :a movable auxiliary airfoil usually attached to an airplane wing's trailing edge to increase lift or drag — see airplane illustration

6 a :a state of excitement or agitation :tizzy, uproar

b :something that generates an uproar

7 :a consonant (such as the sound \d\ in ladder and \t\ in latter) characterized by a single rapid contact of the tongue or lower lip against another point in the mouth — called also tap

See flap defined for English-language learners

See flap defined for kids

Examples of flap in a Sentence

She opened the tent flap and crawled outside.
the inside flap of a book's cover
a loose flap of skin

Recent Examples of flap from the Web

The flap over the trading miscues forced the bank to restate a quarter’s earnings and pay more than $1 billion in settlements with U.S. and U.K. regulators.

— jef feeley, Bloomberg.com, "SEC Drops Claims Against Ex-JPM Traders in London Whale Case," 18 Aug. 2017
Federal investigators blamed the crash on the failure of pilots to deploy the plane's flaps and slats for takeoff.

— detroit free press staff, Detroit Free Press, "Memorial will mark 30 years since Flight 255 crash at Detroit airport," 15 Aug. 2017
One along the bottom of the jersey above the Nike tag, and the other under the flaps on the front of the shorts.

— joe noga, cleveland.com, "Cleveland Cavaliers unveil new Nike uniforms featuring Goodyear logo for 2017-18 campaign," 8 Aug. 2017
The Predator 21 X’s designers considered creating some sort of flap to conceal the curve of the screen when the laptop is closed.

— melissa riofrio, PCWorld, "Acer Predator 21 X: We unbox the beastliest gaming laptop ever," 2 Aug. 2017
The eye-catching red flap is made from Italian leather, the edges are hand-painted, and the inside has velvet-like lining with three pockets to organize all my crap.

— lindsay peoples, The Cut, "A Sophisticated Wicker Bag That You Can Carry After Summer’s Over," 25 July 2017
There’s the smooth, structured satchel face with a simple leather flap that seals at the bottom.

— diana tsui, The Cut, "An Anti–‘It’ Bag for Chic Eccentrics," 14 July 2017
The price: Less than $20 The deal: Speaking of portability, fitness bands fit in the outer flap pocket of your suitcase and can be used to make almost any exercise more difficult—even ones that use only your body weight as resistance.

— jay willis, GQ, "Here's the Best Home Gym Equipment You Can Buy for About $100," 10 July 2017
Indeed, despite denunciations of the video from around the globe, at least a half-dozen people in the district, including Stelly, hadn’t heard about the flap when interviewed at random Thursday.

— kevin mcgill, The Seattle Times, "Auschwitz video latest flap for ‘Cajun John Wayne’," 7 July 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of flap

Middle English flappe

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

flap Synonyms

flap

verb

Definition of flap

flapped; flapping

transitive verb

1 :to beat with or as if with a flap

2 :to toss sharply :fling

3 :to move or cause to move in flaps

intransitive verb

1 :to sway loosely usually with a noise of striking and especially when moved by wind

2 a :to beat or pulsate wings or something suggesting wings

b :to progress by flapping

c :to flutter ineffectively

3 :to talk foolishly and persistently

See flap defined for English-language learners

Examples of flap in a Sentence

The breeze flapped the sails.
The flag flapped in the breeze.
The bird's wings were flapping.

Recent Examples of flap from the Web

And by game’s end, Rollie Massimino was Daddy Mess, a rumpled, disheveled wreck, the silk tie flapping at half-mast, the once-crisp shirt trailing after him like a kite tail, and the suit coat locked and loaded and ready to be launched.

— bill lyon, Philly.com, "Family and coaching were Massimino's ruling passions | Bill Lyon," 30 Aug. 2017
And Confederate flags flap in the wind from the encampments. ...

— james hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: The elites strike back — getting under Trump’s skin," 21 Aug. 2017
The video shows the eagle using its wings to keep its balance on its prey, then also flapping to bring the fawn to shore.

— paul a. smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Woman captures video of bald eagle killing fawn," 19 Aug. 2017
Though available inside the vendor's tent, not one single Confederate flag throw flapped in the breeze that helped push away the morning showers that greeted the day.

— chuck yarborough, cleveland.com, "Young country leads the way as WGAR Country Jam returns to Cuyahoga Fairgrounds (photos)," 19 Aug. 2017
Next to me, my mother, her face alight, tapped her shoes, flapped a fan donated by a funeral home, and sang along.

— rick bragg, Southern Living, "All-Night Gospel," 11 July 2017
A freak accident, a bit of bad luck, a butterfly flapping its wings in Thailand.

— richard lawson, Vanities, "Did a Car Accident Reveal a Darker Side of HGTV’s Biggest Hit?," 10 July 2017
Trump emerged from a Marriott in Warsaw on Thursday a little after 9:15 a.m., his sprawling motorcade of flag-flapping black sedans, police escorts and shuttle buses riding along the Vistula River to a back entrance to the presidential palace.

— Alaska Dispatch News, "Trump, in Poland, urges West to ‘defend our civilization’," 6 July 2017
James recently posted a video of himself kneeling on a fitness ball while holding a strange, flapping stick.

— troy l. smith, cleveland.com, "LeBron James' new gym workout is both strange and amazing," 22 June 2017

First Known Use of flap

14th century

flap Synonyms

Synonyms

beat, flail, flop, flutter, whip

Related Words

bang, batter, buffet, knock, pound, smack, spank, thump; flick, flicker, flit; fan, oscillate, sway, swing; undulate, wave; palpitate, pulse, throb

FLAP Defined for English Language Learners

flap

play

noun

Definition of flap for English Language Learners

: a flat piece of material that is attached to something on one side and that can be easily moved
: the movement or sound of something that is moving up and down or back and forth
: a state or situation in which many people are excited or upset

flap

verb

Definition of flap for English Language Learners

: to move (something) up and down or back and forth

FLAP Defined for Kids

flap

play

noun \ ˈflap \

Definition of flap for Students

1 :something broad and flat or flexible that hangs loose

Tape the box flaps closed.

2 :the motion or sound made by something broad and flexible (as a sail or wing) moving back and forth

3 :an upset or worried state of mind

Don't get in a flap over nothing.

flap

verb

Definition of flap for Students

flapped; flapping

:to move with a beating or fluttering motion

Birds flapped their wings.

Medical Dictionary

flap

play

noun \ ˈflap \

medical Definition of flap

:a piece of tissue partly severed from its place of origin for use in surgical grafting

Learn More about flap

See words that rhyme with flap Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for flap Spanish Central: Translation of flap Nglish: Translation of flap for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of flap for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about flap

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flap

Definition of flap

Examples of flap in a Sentence

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First Known Use of flap

flap Synonyms

Synonyms

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FLAP Defined for English Language Learners

flap

Definition of flap for English Language Learners

flap

Definition of flap for English Language Learners

FLAP Defined for Kids

flap

Definition of flap for Students

flap

Definition of flap for Students

Medical Dictionary

flap

medical Definition of flap

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