flop
verb · noun · adverb
Simple meaning
To fail completely.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
flahpIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈflɑp
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
intransitiveinformal
To fail completely; not to be successful at all (of a movie, play, book, song etc.).
Fail utterly; collapse
intransitive
To fall heavily due to lack of energy.
Fall loosely
transitive
To cause to drop heavily.
intransitive
To strike about with something broad and flat, as a fish with its tail, or a bird with its wings; to rise and fall; to flap.
noun
A complete failure, especially in the entertainment industry.
“The play was a dismal flop.”
A heavy, passive fall; a plopping down.
Dung, as in cow-flop.
adverb
Right, squarely, flat-out.
With a flopping sound
“He tumbled flop into the mud.”
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To fail completely; not to be successful at all (of a movie, play, book, song etc.).
Used this way, flop is a reasonably familiar word carrying real weight of difficulty or hurt. It carries more force than its gentler alternatives. It turns up most in personal or emotional discussion and literature or storytelling contexts.
- Emotional tone
- Strongly negative
- Formality
- Casual
- Intensity
- Strong
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Serious and weighty
- Usage feel
- Casual and conversational
Where it naturally appears
- Personal/emotional discussion
- Literature/storytelling
- Everyday conversation
- Social media/informal writing
Usage note
Flop is emotionally heavy: it suggests deep or lasting feeling, not a passing mood, so it can overstate a small reaction.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
How It’s Used
The word’s distinct uses, one example each.
Completenoun
“The play was a dismal flop.”
Floppingadverb
“He tumbled flop into the mud.”
More ways to use flop
- “The play was a dismal flop.”noun
- “This computer can perform a million flops per second.”noun
- “He landed on the bed with a great flop.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A decision to reverse an earlier decision.
A dive in which the abdomen bears the main force of impact with the water.
Jumping over the bar backwards and head first.
A dive in which the abdomen bears the main force of impact with the water.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.