flip

verb

\ˈflip

flipped; flipping

Definition of flip

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 : to toss so as to cause to turn over in the air flip a coin flip a pancake also : toss flip me the ball flip one end of the scarf over your shoulder

2a : to cause to turn and especially to turn over flipped the car flipping the pages of a book

b : to move with a small quick motion flip a switch

c : to turn (something) on or off with a switch flip on/off the lights

d : to change or move through (channels, stations, etc.) quickly flipping channels with the remote control

3 : to buy and usually renovate (real estate) so as to quickly resell at a higher price He's flipped three houses for a substantial profit.

4 : to cause or persuade (a witness) to cooperate in prosecuting a criminal case against an associate … wrote that the … probe seemed to have reached the stage where investigators are in the process of flipping witnesses.— Nancy LeTourneau

intransitive verb

1 : to make a twitching or flicking movement the fish flipped and flopped on the deck

2a : to turn or roll from one side to the other : turn over The crab had flipped onto its back. The car flipped over.

b : to do a somersault in the air : to do a flip He flipped off the diving board.

3a : to change from one state, position, subject, etc., to another The job market flipped from hot to cold. The commercial flipped back and forth between scenes of country life and city life.

b : to change or move through channels, pages, etc. He sat on the couch flipping through the channels. flip to another station flip through the pages of a magazine

c : to cooperate in the prosecution of a criminal case against an associate Before sentencing, two more members defected…. And, soon after receiving his 45-year sentence in May 1989, Leonetti flipped, too.— Marguerite Del Giudice

4 slang

a : to lose one's mind or composure —often used with out The patient flipped out in manic behavior.She flipped out when she heard about her son's accident.

b : to become very enthusiastic

flip

noun

Definition of flip (Entry 2 of 3)

1 : a mixed drink usually consisting of a sweetened spiced liquor with beaten eggs

2 : an act or instance of flipping

3 : the motion used in flipping

4 : a somersault especially in the air

5 : a holder for a collectible coin made of vinyl or cardboard with a plastic window and often having a sleeve in which to place an identifying insert

flip

adjective

Definition of flip (Entry 3 of 3)

: flippant, impertinent

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about flip

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Examples of flip in a Sentence

Verb

She was sitting in the waiting room, flipping the pages of a magazine. His car flipped over on the interstate.

Noun

the flip of a coin She turned on the lights with the flip of a switch.

Adjective

made some flip comment about the marriage between the old man and the considerably younger woman

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

But the Democrats, who hit political rock bottom just two years ago, have now picked up at least 32 seats in the House — and lead in four more — in addition to flipping seven governorships and eight state legislative chambers. — Steve Peoples, The Seattle Times, "More races go to Democrats, including Senate seat in Ariz.," 13 Nov. 2018 Third Way, an organization that promotes centrist Democrats, says moderates were responsible for flipping 23 of the Democrats’ new House seats. — Gerald F. Seib, WSJ, "Democrats Built a Big Tent; Can They Keep It?," 12 Nov. 2018 You can actually road-test all of these (and many more) without going broke by flipping through our edit of the 25 best pairs for under $200, above. — Emily Farra, Vogue, "Made for Walking: Shop Fall’s Best (Affordable!) Boots for Under $200," 30 Oct. 2018 With everything looking good so far, NASA says the ICESat-2 team will spend a couple weeks testing and optimizing the instrument before flipping the switch to official data collection. — Scott K. Johnson, Ars Technica, "ICESat-2 successfully starts lasering Earth, telling us about it," 5 Oct. 2018 That's why some people swear by flipping their turkey upside down. — Lauren Piro, Good Housekeeping, "Should You Really Roast Your Turkey Upside Down?," 30 Aug. 2018 During a visit to the island soon after the storm hit, Trump scored few points among residents by flipping rolls of paper towels to survivors. — Arelis R. Hernandez And Joel Achenbach, chicagotribune.com, "Failure of imagination hindered federal response to hurricanes that devastated Puerto Rico," 14 July 2018 This recipe calls for flipping the burger only once. — Jim Shahin, charlotteobserver, "The best way to grill a burger keeps it off the grate," 6 July 2018 An art and action festival to rally support for flipping control of Congress. — SFChronicle.com, "Bay Area political events: Resistance training, lawmakers meet with public," 13 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Altuve did not secure the flip, the second error by a typically sure-handed infield on a sloppy night in most facets. — Chandler Rome, Houston Chronicle, "Athletics hammer Lance McCullers in Astros' loss," 12 July 2018 The baby was doing flips, waving at us; the scan took about two minutes. — The Cut, The Cut, "The Mom Who Had an Abortion at 8 Months, Then a Surprise Pregnancy," 6 June 2018 Our neighbors in Washington are experiencing the calendar flip, too (though Philly’s 22.2 inches of snow this winter is crushing D.C.’s measly 3.7. — Michael Boren, Philly.com, "March could be colder than February in Philly - again," 16 Mar. 2018 After the final touch-ups, a few kisses from her dog and an epic slow-motion hair flip, Capenter was all ready to go. — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "24 Hours with Sabrina Carpenter," 1 Dec. 2017 Some newer artists even exist almost solely as Three 6 pastiche acts, including $uicideboy$, whose WhoSampled page lists dozens of flips of old Memphis classics. — Patrick Lyons, Billboard, "10 Years Ago, Three 6 Mafia's 'Last 2 Walk' Almost Ruined Their Legacy," 24 June 2018 The lights go down and then comes a thundering bass sound, followed by a rapid flip of images that are accompanied by a booming soundtrack and dialogue. — Katheleen Conti, BostonGlobe.com, "Showcase Cinemas to launch sensory-friendly screenings," 21 June 2018 Why would a guy do a flip over a guy and stick his landing? — Jim Owczarski, Cincinnati.com, "The No. 2 Cincinnati Bengals play in last 30 years: Jerome Simpson’s flip," 12 July 2018 And for much of that time, Battista’s Alicia instructs Le Blanc’s Logan in the sensual art of the hair flip. — Mitchel Benson, sacbee, "‘Thanksgiving Play’ gone off the rails? That’s the genius in Capital Stage's comedy," 5 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Trump on the campaign trail called the unemployment rate phony, so these claims are flip-flops. — Salvador Rizzo, Washington Post, "Anatomy of a Trump rally: 76 percent of claims are false, misleading or lacking evidence," 10 July 2018 Additional elements from the campaign include throwback flip phones, a vintage pink convertible and flashy accessories. — Lisa Lockwood | Wwd, latimes.com, "Paris Hilton codesigns collection with Boohoo.com," 11 June 2018 One under the cookline prep table next to a flip top cooler. — David J. Neal, miamiherald, "What's that on your doughnut? Flies, rodents, roaches, poop shut down these restaurants," 14 May 2018 Virginia Democrats see flip opportunities in several House races in Virginia, with GOP Rep. Barbara Comstock at the top of the list because Clinton won the district by 10 points. — Eliza Collins, USA TODAY, "What to expect for June 12th primary in Nevada, Maine, South Carolina, Virginia, North Dakota," 12 June 2018 In The Beer Olympics: Company Cross Functional Team Building Event, for example, each team plays a round robin of games (darts, beer pong, flip cup, giant Jenga, cornhole) and the team with most points wins and receives a prize. — azcentral, "Top Companies to Work for in Arizona-Medium Companies," 7 June 2018 Each Monday in Didi’s class, the students make a weekend report that goes onto a flip chart. — Vanessa Hua, San Francisco Chronicle, "Small talk for first-graders that’s based on real life," 30 May 2018 As some educators worry liberal arts education on college campuses is going the way of the flip cell phone, Emory University wants to ramp up its offerings in those fields. — Eric Stirgus, ajc, "Emory to ramp up liberal arts education," 23 May 2018 The Sam linebacker role is going the way of the VCR or the flip cell phone, though, playing maybe one-third of the defensive snaps these days. — Larry Holder, NOLA.com, "Saints finally stable at linebacker, but who plays where?," 15 May 2018

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