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
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
Right now, shop travel- and beach-lovers’ favorite flip flops, featuring a chic square toe design, for just $30.
—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
Bonfire became one of the big flops of its era, and Salamon was the only winner.
—Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 2 Apr. 2026
Presenting the album to media and industry guests, Flea looked right at home wearing flip flops on a hot summer’s day.
—Lars Brandle, Billboard, 27 Mar. 2026
Instead, the Fire Phone - overseen directly by founder Jeff Bezos - was scrapped in barely over a year, one of Amazon’s highest-profile flops.
—Greg Bensinger, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026
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
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
Right now, shop travel- and beach-lovers’ favorite flip flops, featuring a chic square toe design, for just $30.
—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
Bonfire became one of the big flops of its era, and Salamon was the only winner.
—Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 2 Apr. 2026
Presenting the album to media and industry guests, Flea looked right at home wearing flip flops on a hot summer’s day.
—Lars Brandle, Billboard, 27 Mar. 2026
Instead, the Fire Phone - overseen directly by founder Jeff Bezos - was scrapped in barely over a year, one of Amazon’s highest-profile flops.
—Greg Bensinger, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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
-
Trump has expressed a desire to push more responsibility for disasters down to states.—
Gabriela Aoun Angueira,
Fortune,
11 Apr. 2026
-
His boldest innovation is to invoke not past glories but past disasters, summoning the ghosts of the United States’ catastrophic interventions in Iraq.—
Fintan O’Toole,
The New York Review of Books,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
First, a knight’s urgent secretion plops to the ground behind a tree that offers far too little.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
As the castle’s internal order collapses under the weight of a string of baffling crimes, Araki strikes a fragile alliance with Kuroda Kanbei – a razor-minded captive languishing in his own dungeon – in a race to root out a traitor before Oda’s army closes in.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
14 Apr. 2026
-
At the elementary level, the figure collapses to 11%.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The structure flaps its wings when powered by electricity.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Apr. 2026
-
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
-
The city now has a golden opportunity to learn from past failures by adopting a fairer, more accountable standard.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Apr. 2026
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Severe storms on Monday night at the weir in the West Michigan community of Manistee caused a series of power failures to the holding tanks and the equipment that keep steelhead alive during egg collection efforts, the DNR said.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Another day, as Mom loads the children into the car, Jeremy tosses a basketball against the house, again and again, his passive aggression registering through the ball’s unyielding thuds and his own frozen gaze.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Jobe Reed tosses 5 innings, scattering 4 hits with no runs, 7 strikeouts and 3 walks.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Year after year, Congress fails to impose discipline.—
Veronique De Rugy,
Oc Register,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Such language fails to reflect the respect owed to the Successor of Peter and does not serve the common good.—
Jennifer McRae,
CBS News,
13 Apr. 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 17 Apr. 2026.
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