flip side

noun

variants or less commonly flipside

ˈflip-ˌsīd 

plural flip sides also flipsides

1

: the reverse side of a phonograph record

[Taylor] Swift has an exclusive 7-inch single of "The Lakes" … On the flip side: "The Lakes (original version)," an orchestral take on the song not previously available on vinyl.

—Mike Snider

also : a song presented on the flip side of a record

The flip side of The Stone Poneys' "Different Drum" was the Pamela Polland composition "I've Got to Know."

—Warren Kurtz

2

: a reverse or opposite side, aspect, or result

The flipside of the disquieting inflation news is good news on the state of the economy …

—Paul Wiseman

Sixteen City Council members are stepping down, which means fresh faces and new ideas—but on the flip side, a huge loss of institutional knowledge about the basics of how the city operates …

—The Chicago Sun-Times

Examples of flip side in a Sentence

That song was on the flip side of their first single.

Loss of privacy is the flip side of fame.

Recent Examples on the Web

There’s a certain kind of gentility and politeness, and then on the flip side, dark humor and grotesquerie. — Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026

The flip side, though, is that European founders are the experts in how to navigate their complex region—and American companies that try to enter the market often underestimate the difficulty, argues Shalalvand. — Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2026

The flip side of that is a player like David Montgomery, who the market knows as a veteran who has produced before. — Ben Gretch, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026

On the flip side is the Great Seal of the United States, with the bald eagle gripping arrows in one claw and an olive branch in the other. — Jesse Bedayn, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1940, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for flip side

• abide
• allied
• applied
• aside
• astride
• azide
• backside
• bankside
• bastide
• bayside
• bedside
• belied