flip

\ 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 outThe patient flipped out in manic behavior.She flipped out when she heard about her son's accident.

b : to become very enthusiastic

flip the script

informal

: to achieve an outcome or adopt an approach that is opposite to or completely different from what has happened or been done previously Now, having won three of the last nine majors, Mickelson has flipped the script on Woods.— Alan Shipnuck … the chance to flip the script, to go from 0-6 with a chance to finish the second half of the year 5-1, is motivating Nebraska players this week.— Steve Batterson If you let your inner critic do all the talking, of course she's going to chip away at your self-esteem. Make a conscious choice to flip the script for the next week and see how dramatically it alters your outlook.— Petra Guglielmetti

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 When the release becomes public at noon London time, a staff person flips a switch that turns on internet access inside the room and the lock-in, as it is called, ends. — Caitlin Ostroff, WSJ, "Unexplained Trading in Pound Last Month Wasn’t a First," 9 Feb. 2020 Republicans must flip most of those seats in order to retake the House in 2020. — Katie Surma, azcentral, "House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy endorses Tiffany Shedd in CD 1," 6 Feb. 2020 Then, Joe flips the bin upside down, and the snow block slides out. — Hannah Kirby, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "See the snow fort a Wauwatosa father and son spent about 30 hours building this winter," 6 Feb. 2020 Unlike last year’s Galaxy Fold, which opened like a tiny book, the Galaxy Z Flip, well, flips. — Michael Simon, PCWorld, "Galaxy Z Flip preview: Samsung’s second foldable phone is a reboot, not a sequel," 4 Feb. 2020 In the wild, rhinoceros beetles use their horns as weapons to variously lift, flip, or toss other males into the air in fights for dominance during mating season. — National Geographic, "Why rare beetles are being smuggled to Japan at an alarming rate," 4 Feb. 2020 In their two playoff games, the Chiefs (as would be expected with coin flips) won one and lost one. — John Holler, USA TODAY Sportsbook Wire, "Super Bowl 54 Prop Bets: Which team will score 10 points first?," 31 Jan. 2020 Two years ago, Mike Siegel—a civil rights lawyer and labor activist running on an ambitious progressive platform—came within five points of flipping the district back to blue. — Kate Aronoff, The New Republic, "Selling the Green New Deal to Texas Unions," 28 Jan. 2020 Although Loebsack represents the heavily Democratic seat covering Davenport and Iowa City, first-term lawmakers Finkenauer and Axne flipped their districts in 2018 and face tough re-election pushes in the fall. — Naomi Lim, Washington Examiner, "Buttigieg wins backing from New Hampshire lawmaker ahead of first primary," 16 Jan. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Though there was no surf access or watery view, the stage was erected on a strip of golden sand, giving partiers permission to kick off the flip-flops and let their wild side reign. — Kat Bein, Billboard, "The Five Best Moments at Gronk Beach 2020, a Super Bowl LIV Miami Bacchanal," 2 Feb. 2020 Apart from the flip-flop over the amendment to IFA 1927 in 2019, following a supreme court order, the issue of evicting tribal people and forest dwellers from forests after the rejection of their claims, gained traction. — Mayank Aggarwal, Quartz India, "India’s missing a clear forest policy and its jungle dwellers are the worst off," 12 Jan. 2020 War refugees escaping violence, by contrast, must trudge their wretched roads in rubber flip-flops, dress loafers, dusty sandals, high-heeled pumps, booties improvised from rags, etc. — Paul Salopek, National Geographic, "A storyteller chronicles the mass migrations that define our age," 17 July 2019 When bubbles begin to form, about 1 minute, flip and cook until both sides are slightly browned. — Paul Stephen, ExpressNews.com, "Recipe: Gluten- and Grain-Free Cassava Flour Tortillas," 8 Jan. 2020 The 1960s flip is on its way to making a strong comeback, showing up on celebrities and influencers alike. — Shalwah Evans, Essence, "The Flip Hairstyle Is Making A Comeback With Millennials," 21 Aug. 2019 Let the green beans blister, then toss to coat, flip and blister all sides. — Jessica Battilana, SFChronicle.com, "Recipe: Blistered Green Beans With Tomatoes, Pounded Walnuts and Raw Summer Squash," 21 June 2019 At one time, these bit flips were little more than an exotic crashing phenomenon that was known to be triggered only by cosmic rays. — Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, "Researchers use Rowhammer bit flips to steal 2048-bit crypto key," 11 June 2019 Home flips in Dallas-Fort Worth and across the country were down in the first quarter from a year ago. — Steve Brown, Dallas News, "Home flipping becoming less common and less profitable in Dallas-Fort Worth," 6 June 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Toorak and other firms like it buy flip loans from originators, often online operations like Peer Street Inc. and LendingHome Corp. — Peter Rudegeair, WSJ, "Wall Street Is Getting In On the House Flipping Game," 13 May 2018 Strewn around are protective gear, flip flops, and slippers. — Washington Post, "Behind the barricade, Hong Kong protesters turn a university into a fortress," 14 Nov. 2019 As the flip house hits the market, Lewis, 49, is in the middle of a custody dispute with Edward. — Helen Murphy, PEOPLE.com, "Jeff Lewis Lists $3.5 Million Beverly Hills House Amid Custody Dispute with Ex Gage Edward," 12 Nov. 2019 In the third class, Paula instructs us to write our fears and worries about fatherhood on a flip chart. — Claire Lynch, Washington Post, "I donated the eggs, my wife carried the babies: What it’s like to be the unexpected parent," 23 Sep. 2019 At the time, Briskman was upset over the president’s decision to suspend DACA and his flip response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. — Michelle Ruiz, Vogue, "Juli Briskman, Who Was Fired for Flipping Off Trump, Has Won an Election in Virginia," 6 Nov. 2019 USA TODAY Months after reports surfaced that Samsung was working on a smartphone that folds into a square, the South Korean tech giant is offering a glimpse at a concept that takes flip phones to the next level. — Dalvin Brown, USA TODAY, "Samsung shows sneak peek of foldable concept smartphone that shuts like a clamshell," 30 Oct. 2019 Sneakers, mules, heels or yes, even flip flops, are all a go when modernizing the look. — Melissa Magsaysay, chicagotribune.com, "5 fall fashion trends to embrace — and make uniquely yours," 6 Sep. 2019 But today the wind patterns flip-flop between blowing eastward and westward. — Annie Sneed, Scientific American, "The Reason Antarctica Is Melting: Shifting Winds, Driven by Global Warming," 16 Aug. 2019

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.