as in disasters
something that has failed
the movie is such a flop that theaters showing it are the loneliest places in town
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
2
as in collapses
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 flaps
to move or cause to move with a striking motion
a fish flopping around on the dock
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of flops
Dan Gelston, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026
Spring break season is nearing its end, but before students across the country trade their flip flops for books again, a southern spring break staple is about to kick off.
—Irene Wright, USA Today, 17 Apr. 2026
Temperatures are going to be summer-like the next several days in the Philadelphia region, so ditch the coat and replace your wardrobe with shorts, T-shirts and flip flops.
—Bill Kelly, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2026
Five of those flops have come in regulation, and there are only four games left in the regular season.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 8 Apr. 2026
Commentary and opinions LA28’s first Olympics ticket drop flops, leaving locals locked out of nearby events, writes news and culture critic Lorraine Ali.
—Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2026
The two took a morning stroll in Gold Coast, Australia, with Faris clad in a billowing light gray button-up, cuffed navy blue pants, black flip flops, and matching shades.
—Christina Perrier, InStyle, 8 Apr. 2026
Similarly, shoppers love the Clarks Breeze Sea Flip-flops, which has 83,000 reviews on Amazon.
—Caroline Hughes, Travel + Leisure, 4 Apr. 2026
The computing power of all human brains combined amounts to roughly 10¹⁸ flops.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2026
Matt Schooley, CBS News, 4 May 2026
Fortunately for shareholders, the stock grants come with a feature similar to equity options that somewhat reduces Musk’s payday, especially in a case like the one above where the plan flops.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 29 Nov. 2025
Amina blows her mom a kiss and then flops down in her crib, pretending to be asleep.
—Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
At one point, Alex comes over to recheck his map and, seeing Rizo attempt to analyze his work, flops over on the puzzle, causing Rizo to pause.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025
Noun
The Phillies instead have been one of the biggest flops in baseball and had lost 10 straight games before ace Zack Wheeler led them to a win against the Atlanta Braves on Saturday.
—Dan Gelston, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026
Spring break season is nearing its end, but before students across the country trade their flip flops for books again, a southern spring break staple is about to kick off.
—Irene Wright, USA Today, 17 Apr. 2026
Temperatures are going to be summer-like the next several days in the Philadelphia region, so ditch the coat and replace your wardrobe with shorts, T-shirts and flip flops.
—Bill Kelly, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2026
Five of those flops have come in regulation, and there are only four games left in the regular season.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 8 Apr. 2026
Commentary and opinions LA28’s first Olympics ticket drop flops, leaving locals locked out of nearby events, writes news and culture critic Lorraine Ali.
—Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2026
The two took a morning stroll in Gold Coast, Australia, with Faris clad in a billowing light gray button-up, cuffed navy blue pants, black flip flops, and matching shades.
—Christina Perrier, InStyle, 8 Apr. 2026
Similarly, shoppers love the Clarks Breeze Sea Flip-flops, which has 83,000 reviews on Amazon.
—Caroline Hughes, Travel + Leisure, 4 Apr. 2026
The computing power of all human brains combined amounts to roughly 10¹⁸ flops.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2026
Verb
One of the best bigs in [expletive] basketball history flops.
—Matt Schooley, CBS News, 4 May 2026
Fortunately for shareholders, the stock grants come with a feature similar to equity options that somewhat reduces Musk’s payday, especially in a case like the one above where the plan flops.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 29 Nov. 2025
Amina blows her mom a kiss and then flops down in her crib, pretending to be asleep.
—Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
At one point, Alex comes over to recheck his map and, seeing Rizo attempt to analyze his work, flops over on the puzzle, causing Rizo to pause.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flops
Noun
-
With an adjournment deadline of midnight Wednesday, Ritter is facing daily disasters and dramas relating to lawmakers clamoring for votes on bills destined to die without their moment on the floor.—
Mark Pazniokas,
Hartford Courant,
2 May 2026
-
Miller served for a decade as chairman of Team Rubicon, a nonprofit that helps communities around the globe recover from disasters.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
After Hancock waits an hour or so for the drone to descend, the moment arrives and the drone plops Hancock’s syrup directly onto the concrete, which isn’t a good sign.—
Joe Wilkins,
Futurism,
16 Apr. 2026
-
The series’ opening scene plops audiences in the middle of the Dardanos’ dysfunction, as Linda, presiding over her own mother’s hospital room, screeches that her children should bear witness to their terminally ill nonna’s final days—even to her urinary incontinence.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Disrupt that window through late nights, alcohol, a warm bedroom or fragmented sleep, and the surge collapses.—
Allison Palmer,
Kansas City Star,
29 Apr. 2026
-
As the video demonstrates, von Ensingen’s drawing (not in the show, alas) collapses all the levels, complete with stairs, setbacks, vaults, and columns, onto a single plane.—
Justin Davidson,
Curbed,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The structure flaps its wings when powered by electricity.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Apr. 2026
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View gallery - 7 images A wooden dragon sculpture that gently flaps its wings has become a crowd-funding hit, but after seeing the traditional handcrafted work that's been put into every single model, making each one unique, the value of such a piece becomes strikingly clear.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Many failures can be offset by a single success, which means this form of investing is likely to result in major innovation.—
Anis Uzzaman,
Fortune,
6 May 2026
-
But that Panarin trade doesn’t erase the team’s missteps to that point, like the decision to run it back with Jim Hiller despite last postseason’s failures.—
Shayna Goldman,
New York Times,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
In a video demonstrating their technology, robots with a single arm attached to a base watch as a human instructor tosses a ball into a small container.—
Katia Riddle,
NPR,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Sneak extra broccoli into dinner with this pesto pasta that blends the veggie into both the sauce and tosses it into the finished dish too.—
Patricia S York,
Southern Living,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Conversely, state governors have the same ability when the federal government fails to perform their duties, under the Ninth and Tenth amendments.—
Kaitlyn Schallhorn,
Oc Register,
4 May 2026
-
If the core players are anything other than spectacular, the team fails.—
Murat Ates,
New York Times,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel (center) flutters a Venezuelan and Cuban national flags in support of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in Havana.—
Kiki Intarasuwan,
CBS News,
3 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flops.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flops. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
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