flip out

verb

flipped out; flipping out; flips out

intransitive verb

informal

: to lose one's reason or composure

She's going to flip out when she sees the great present I got her!

"We were flipping out [from worry] and crying," Yvonne White said. "It was just getting worse and worse."

—Sydney Page

especially : to become very angry

… he flipped out on the server when they messed up his wife's order.

—Ajani Bazile

transitive verb

informal

: to cause (someone) to lose reason or composure

But it wasn't until he saw a homemade e-bike in the back of a neighbor's pickup truck about five years ago that he truly fell in love. "It flipped me out. It looked like a tiny motorcycle," [Andrew] Willner said.

—Lissa Harris

"I fell asleep with my makeup on, and when I woke up, my eyes were swollen shut from an allergic reaction to the silver paint. I couldn't see a thing, and it flipped me out."

—Ace Frehley

Examples of flip out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Once it’s charged, fill up the transparent water holder and flip out the nozzle to reveal a power button with two speeds. —Joel Balsam, Travel + Leisure, 21 Mar. 2024

And not necessarily to flip out Portland for another US venue but to look at Portland and another U.S. venue. —Maury Brown, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024

After flipping out and nearly strangling someone on the job, Dan gets a surprising offer from a spunky eyewitness named Rita (Dolly de Leon), who asks him to join their scrappy Shakespeare production. —Peter Debruge, Variety, 18 Jan. 2024

This cuts off another route for developers to escape Apple’s 30% commission, and open-web advocates flip out. Feb. 26—The Commission’s DMA team sends questionnaires to Apple and anyone affected by its web-app decision, which typically means a formal investigation is coming. —David Meyer, Fortune, 4 Mar. 2024

So not to flip out Shanghai for a different Chinese venue but to look at Shanghai and another Chinese venue. —Maury Brown, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024

The ends of the pony were dramatically flipped out for a vintage vibe, a fun contrast against her super-modern dress. —Kara Nesvig, Allure, 16 Jan. 2024

Then, the legs flip out perpendicular to the machine's bottom edge and provide stability. —Scharon Harding, Ars Technica, 6 Oct. 2023

Feeling bad about flipping out can be a good thing, Dr. Kecmanovic says. —Jenna Ryu, SELF, 4 Jan. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1959, in the meaning defined above