1
as in plopped
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in collapsed
to be unsuccessful
the attempt to run the ball into the end zone flopped, and our team lost by five points
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in flapped
to move or cause to move with a striking motion
a fish flopping around on the dock
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 flopped
Flies and roach poop caused a mall food court chain’s Kendall location to fail inspection last week, a week after its Hialeah location also flopped inspection.
—
David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 10 Feb. 2026
The Chiefs flopped in free agency and didn’t act quickly enough in a draft that had running back depth.
—Sam McDowell 5, Kansas City Star, 5 Feb. 2026
Baby Briana’s arms twitched and legs flopped against cold concrete.
—Jayme Fraser, USA Today, 4 Feb. 2026
Alphabet stock flopped after market on a massive ramp-up in capital expenditures for AI, where the company’s Gemini has seen a sharp increase in engagement.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 4 Feb. 2026
Post-Tirico, ESPN flopped around, unable to figure out its play-by-play position for Monday night.
—Andrew Marchand, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2026
Boyfriend number two flopped right out of the league.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 27 Jan. 2026
But within a day, the entire hypothesis flopped.
—Literary Hub, 27 Jan. 2026
Before us, in a curtain of matte black against the vibrant green, a beautiful, enormous silverback lays flopped on his back surrounded by eight gorillas of all ages wrestling around him.
—Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Jan. 2026
David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 10 Feb. 2026
The Chiefs flopped in free agency and didn’t act quickly enough in a draft that had running back depth.
—Sam McDowell 5, Kansas City Star, 5 Feb. 2026
Baby Briana’s arms twitched and legs flopped against cold concrete.
—Jayme Fraser, USA Today, 4 Feb. 2026
Alphabet stock flopped after market on a massive ramp-up in capital expenditures for AI, where the company’s Gemini has seen a sharp increase in engagement.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 4 Feb. 2026
Post-Tirico, ESPN flopped around, unable to figure out its play-by-play position for Monday night.
—Andrew Marchand, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2026
Boyfriend number two flopped right out of the league.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 27 Jan. 2026
But within a day, the entire hypothesis flopped.
—Literary Hub, 27 Jan. 2026
Before us, in a curtain of matte black against the vibrant green, a beautiful, enormous silverback lays flopped on his back surrounded by eight gorillas of all ages wrestling around him.
—Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flopped
Verb
-
But then there is a working toilet up there that’s not behind any walls or hidden by a door; it’s just plopped there, a few feet from the foot of the bed.—
Christopher Borrelli,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Feb. 2026
-
The severed half plopped limply back into her bowl.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In Worcester, which lay more than 40 miles from the Charlestown line, a parched and dusty rider arrived at the square in front of the church, where his horse collapsed in exhaustion.—
Kostya Kennedy,
Time,
16 Feb. 2026
-
The front porch had also collapsed on the two-story, multi-family building.—
Forum News Service,
Twin Cities,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
But Chelsea — and Garnacho — responded again, the Argentina international reducing the arrears again after some Kepa had flapped at a cross.—
Simon Johnson,
New York Times,
14 Jan. 2026
-
A little way down the bank, a hoatzin flapped awkwardly in dense foliage.—
Stanley Stewart,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
She could also be grilled about her efforts to revive cases against former FBI Director James Comey and New York's Democratic Attorney General Tish James after indictments against them were tossed.—
Luke Barr,
ABC News,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Both cases have since been tossed by a federal judge, who found that the prosecutor was unlawfully appointed.—
Elena Moore,
NPR,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Two months later, the appointment of another nominee, Keith Fountain, failed in a 5-4 decision of the Board of Directors, falling one short of the six votes necessary to confirm him.—
Joseph Flaherty,
Arkansas Online,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Federal overreach has failed our children, with literacy rates falling and a bloated federal budget wasting taxpayer dollars.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Her eyes fluttered open then closed.—
Jayme Fraser,
USA Today,
4 Feb. 2026
-
The clergy made a full lap around the field to make sure all the angles were covered, including the end where Loop's very makeable kick fluttered wide.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Parchment may need to be cut or folded to get the right shape, while a lid is designed to fit its container perfectly.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Consumer advocates estimate that residential electricity costs are up close to 30% for many households since 2021 once rate hikes, fees, and fuel adjustments are folded in.—
Ashley Lutz,
Fortune,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The results showed that while standard chemical leaching struggled without gravity to move fluids, the microbes didn’t blink.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Feb. 2026
-
The passenger was able to exit the truck while the suspect, still armed with the knife, struggled with the driver.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flopped.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flopped. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
