flop 1 of 2

noun

Definition of flopnext
as in disaster
something that has failed the movie is such a flop that theaters showing it are the loneliest places in town

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

flop

2 of 2

verb

ˈfläp How to pronounce flop (audio)
1
as in to plop
to throw or set down clumsily or casually they lazily flopped themselves onto the couch to watch the game flopped the bag of groceries onto the counter

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2
as in to collapse
to be unsuccessful the attempt to run the ball into the end zone flopped, and our team lost by five points

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to flap
to move or cause to move with a striking motion a fish flopping around on the dock

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of flop
Noun
Despite being one of the most bankable movie stars in history, Tom Cruise’s love life is reportedly a total flop. — Allison Degrushe, StyleCaster, 28 Sep. 2026 Your first screen role was playing Paul Atreides in David Lynch’s Dune in 1984, which was a notorious flop. — Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 27 Sep. 2026
Verb
The tall foliage of bearded iris (Iris germanica) begins flopping early in the growing season. — Marie Iannotti, The Spruce, 22 Sep. 2026 The fish looks straight at me, flopping sluggishly from side to side. — Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for flop
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flop
  1. disaster
  2. plop
  3. collapse
  4. flap
  5. failure
  6. fold
  7. flutter
  8. bust
Noun
  • After the storms, Pritzker issued a state disaster proclamation that made additional state resources available for response and recovery, his office said.
    — Jeremy Gorner, Chicago Tribune, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Exhibitors include first responder agencies and non-governmental organizations that showcase new technologies, offer recruitment opportunities, and demonstrate local preparedness and disaster response capabilities.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of disaster
Verb
  • So by the time Max was 3 years old, he was already plopped into a kid kart inside the speedway’s shipping and receiving warehouse while being pulled around with a bungee cord tied to the front bumper.
    — Tyler Carmona, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2026
  • When the final whistle blew, defender Auston Trusty grabbed the match ball and plopped it in Sullivan’s arms, knowing its significance.
    — Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of plop
Verb
  • The moment the actors wink at the audience, the movie collapses.
    — Annika Pham, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The yellow house on Seaside Walk began to collapse Sunday morning, according to two Long Beach Fire Department lifeguards.
    — Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of collapse
Verb
  • Birds chirp in the tree branches above, and a large yellow butterfly alights on a leaf before flapping away into the sloping sunshine.
    — Sophie Neiman, Christian Science Monitor, 5 Oct. 2026
  • That means the bird species flapping around in backyards today are effectively the only surviving dinosaurs.
    — Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of flap
Noun
  • The installation at the military’s oldest active test base would help shield critical defense operations from wider grid failures.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2026
  • After he was released from the hospital, 22-year-old Nicholas James Stedeford-Aaron was arrested and charged with driving while impaired, reckless driving to endanger and failure to move over for emergency vehicles with injury.
    — Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of failure
Verb
  • The iPhone Duo, Apple's first folding iPhone, will challenge you with a new paradigm.
    — Florence Ion, PC Magazine, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Morton kosher salt; fold in with a rubber spatula just to combine.
    — Tanya Bush, Bon Appetit Magazine, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of fold
Verb
  • Yellow caution tape fluttered in the wind as water poured into a room strewn with wooden debris, an upturned refrigerator and a television.
    — Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Out in the garden, living butterflies flutter among orchids and flowering shrubs, some landing in butterfly traps hanging from the trees.
    — Sophie Neiman, Christian Science Monitor, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of flutter
Noun
  • California’s revenue is notoriously top heavy, leaving state coffers vulnerable to boom-and-bust cycles as the wealthiest residents see their incomes rise and fall with the stock market.
    — Jason Ma, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Several people have been charged in connection with the bust, but whoever oversaw the network has so far managed to elude arrest.
    — Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of bust

Browse Nearby Words

floozy
flop
flop (down)
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Cite this Entry

“Flop.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flop. Accessed 13 Oct. 2026.

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