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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Synonyms & Antonyms for flip

Synonyms: Verb

leaf, riffle, skim, thumb

Synonyms: Adjective

cute, facetious, flippant, pert, smart, smart-aleck, smart-alecky, wise

Antonyms: Adjective

earnest, sincere

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

Aimlessly flipping through channels is no longer necessary. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "On TV This Week: All the Top Shows and Movies You Need to Catch," 7 July 2018 Things turned once the calendar flipped to May – much like this season – and the team never recovered. — Jordan Culver, Pro Soccer USA, "Orlando City searching for win to turn around rough season," 26 June 2018 While performing at the FIFA World Cup opening ceremony in Moscow, British pop singer Robbie Williams proudly flipped his middle finger directly to camera, in full view of the shocked U.S. audiences watching the tournament on Fox. — Aja Hoggatt, EW.com, "Fox apologizes for Robbie Williams's middle finger at FIFA World Cup opening ceremony," 14 June 2018 Fox, positioned stage-left, played the role of Carol Vorderman, flipping through a rack of numbers. — A-LIST, "Social Light: Inside The Old Vic Theatre’s Bicentenary Gala," 15 May 2018 Remove pan from heat and flip shrimp and let sit until opaque, about 30 seconds. — Jennifer Rude Klett, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Table for 1: For solo diners, cooking at home offers many perks," 12 July 2018 Unfortunately for the young Penske star, someone stole his pen late that Sunday afternoon and flipped the script on him. — Jim Ayello, Indianapolis Star, "IndyCar in Toronto: 'Eh Team' returns home; Conor Daly returns to field," 12 July 2018 Erick Torres fielded a grounder at shortstop, stepped on second for the force and flipped the ball to Breylynn Courtney for the put out at first to end the game. — Gary Curreri, Sun-Sentinel.com, "North Springs Little League 11-under all-stars shine brightly at sectionals," 11 July 2018 The unique ride uses gyro technology to twist, flip and spin those seeking thrills, while suspending them up to 70 feet in the air. — Prescotte Stokes Iii, star-telegram, "Are you up for a hair-raising spin at Six Flags ... at 70 feet in the air?," 11 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

No need for bikini, flip-flops or sunscreen out there. — Leah Eskin, chicagotribune.com, "Re-create Popsicle dreams with fresh strawberries — and powerful boost from freeze-dried version," 11 July 2018 There are both men and women versions of flip flops available for $49.99. — Allison Barrie, Fox News, "Top patriotic BBQ gear for July 4," 3 July 2018 Cook until set, flip, and cook for 30 more seconds. — Sara Angle, Outside Online, "The Ultimate Post-Ride Recovery Meal," 3 July 2018 There is nothing like a blonde 20-something-year-old with a Motorola flip phone, cabbing around the D.R. using 10th-grade Spanish, looking for Sammy Sosa. — Ben Baskin, SI.com, "A Brief Oral History of SI's Most (Un)Godly Cover: The Mark McGwire-Sammy Sosa Toga Shoot," 26 June 2018 Books about technology often quickly come to feel like a flip-phone, antiquated and destined for the intellectual junk drawer. — New York Times, "Click ‘Delete’ to Save Your Soul," 13 June 2018 But sometimes there’s there a point where the temperatures flip, which is called an inversion, and temperature increases with height. — Robert Krier, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Make way for May gray," 10 May 2018 Unlike the fix-and-flip target market, these owners' homes are in good shape and sellers could easily take the traditional route — hiring a realty agent. — Kenneth R. Harney, miamiherald, "Tired of the hassle of selling your home? Try this all-cash alternative | Miami Herald," 25 Apr. 2018 The look is one that's eternally cool: variations date back all the way to the 'bubble flip' in the '60s and Farrah Fawcett's feathers in the '70s. — Allie Briggs, refinery29.com, "Your Favorite Celebs Have A New Way To Style L.A.'s Trendiest Haircut," 16 Mar. 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.