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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
All jokes aside, Week 1 of the college football season was mostly a dud, especially the flop by Clemson at LSU with Lane Kiffin starting his tenure in Baton Rouge with a bang. — Eddie Timanus, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2026 Its arrival also happens to highlight LACMA’s epic flop of a main new exhibition hall, the David Geffen Galleries building, which debuted across town four months ago. — Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2026
Verb
Of course, by their very definition, cult films almost always flop upon release then slowly build a devoted following whose passion seems to grow in inverse proportion to any original rejection by mainstream audiences. — Chris Lee, Vulture, 1 Sep. 2026 Nurses are fainting on the wards, children are flopping onto their desks at school. — Cressida Leyshon, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 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
  • Stagg, however, became convinced the day would be stormy – bringing swell and poor visibility that would spell disaster.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Nepal's disaster management agency said five more bodies were located in a different location and equipment was being sent to recover them.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of disaster
Verb
  • This is different to me than, say, a re-creation of the Eiffel Tower being plopped into Las Vegas, which is preying on replication as generic spectacle.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026
  • The party took over the many rooms of the hotel’s restaurant, where guests could plop into booths and enjoy passing french fries, or mingle with a martini near DJ Jade Croo.
    — Leigh Nordstrom, Footwear News, 13 Sep. 2026
Definition of plop
Verb
  • The bubbles pry apart the mold’s cell walls and collapse its protective structure from the inside out to kill it.
    — Maria Sabella, The Spruce, 20 Sep. 2026
  • A week after collapsing against Alabama, Kentucky responded in its next Southeastern Conference game.
    — Chantz Martin OutKick, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of collapse
Verb
  • That means the bird species flapping around in backyards today are effectively the only surviving dinosaurs.
    — Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Real manta rays propel themselves by rhythmically flapping and undulating their enormous pectoral fins.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of flap
Noun
  • It is built the same way that the figure skater builds a routine or the running back learns to explode through a crack in the line—repetition after repetition, failure after failure, with no shortcut available and no machine that can stand in.
    — Dan Rockmore, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026
  • That makes preventing deployment and routing failures especially important as these fleets expand.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of failure
Verb
  • If Curry Village is on your Yosemite itinerary — for the canvas tent cabins, the shower house after a long day on the trail or a base camp for Half Dome — there’s a piece of health news worth folding into your trip planning.
    — The Sacramento Bee staff, Sacbee.com, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Since the last time the area had been grazed, a year earlier, the grasses had grown to chest height and then folded under their own weight.
    — Ingfei Chen, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of fold
Verb
  • The dress included a long train, which trailed the actress on the arrival carpet, and was further augmented by a shoulder ornament of fabric that transitioned from fluttering waves to delicate tassels.
    — Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Tribute upon floral tribute—their petals, leaves, and memorial cards fluttering in the gentle breeze.
    — Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of flutter
Noun
  • While the era’s bust eventually brought most of those ventures to an end, Brown said the experience taught him not to let the fear of failure—or looking foolish—get in the way.
    — Preston Fore, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2026
  • There’s been a boom-or-bust nature to TCU’s success getting after the quarterback with it often feeling like either the quarterback will be brought down for a sack or having plenty of time to throw.
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Sep. 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 22 Sep. 2026.

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