Synonyms of flopping

flopping 1 of 2

adjective

as in folding

Related Words

• folding
• collapsing
• failing
• slipping
• washing-out
• flunking
• no-good
• slumping
• declining
• inauspicious
• waning
• unsuccessful
• unpromising
• hopeless
• futureless
• bankrupt
• destroyed
• ruined
• failed
• wrecked
• kerflooey
• kaput

Dissimilar Words

• successful
• going
• triumphant
• flourishing
• thriving
• coming
• prosperous
• promising
• growing
• palmy
• booming
• robust
• roaring

flopping

2 of 2

verb

present participle of flop

1

as in plopping

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

• plopping
• tossing
• plunking
• plumping
• flinging
• planking
• slinging
• heaving
• flumping
• installing
• planting
• settling
• ensconcing

2

as in collapsing

to be unsuccessful

the attempt to run the ball into the end zone flopped, and our team lost by five points

Synonyms & Similar Words

• collapsing
• folding
• failing
• missing
• struggling
• bombing
• tanking
• flunking
• striking out
• foundering
• crashing
• cratering
• falling short
• coming up empty
• flaming out
• slipping
• falling flat
• declining
• laying an egg
• slumping
• washing out
• coming to grief
• floundering
• skidding
• dying on the vine
• crumbling
• falling on one's face
• coming a cropper
• sinking
• waning
• misfiring
• imploding
• miscarrying
• going under
• self-destructing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• going
• succeeding
• clicking
• delivering
• working out
• coming off
• going over
• cooking
• flourishing
• prospering
• thriving
• winning
• prevailing
• panning out
• triumphing

3

as in flapping

to move or cause to move with a striking motion

a fish flopping around on the dock

Synonyms & Similar Words

• flapping
• fluttering
• flailing
• whipping
• waving
• swinging
• swaying
• flicking
• beating
• knocking
• banging
• smacking
• pounding
• thumping
• flickering
• flitting
• battering
• fanning
• oscillating
• throbbing
• spanking
• buffeting
• undulating
• pulsing
• palpitating

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of flopping

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

Nobody likes to see their sunflowers flopping over—and according to Nancy Awot-Traut, a horticulture specialist at Burpee, there can be several reasons why this happens. — Lauren Wellbank, Martha Stewart, 3 Sep. 2026

Nurses are fainting on the wards, children are flopping onto their desks at school. — Cressida Leyshon, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026

The video shows the peacock, referred to by some in the neighborhood as Sugar, seemingly flopping around then collapsing. — Megan Fahrney, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026

Battered cars with numbers sprayed on their sides are whipping around the dirt track of the Lebanon Valley Speedway, loose fenders flopping like overgrown bangs in the swirling dust. — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 5 Aug. 2026

Perez chugged around the bases before belly-flopping into third base with his trademark smile. — Kansas City Star, 30 July 2026

Staking helps protect tall or large-flowered dahlias from breakage and flopping over, especially after rain or strong wind. — Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 July 2026