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flop

flop

28 3.5
A sudden heavy fall onto something that makes a soft sound
  • noun
  • /flɑp/
translation icon : caída
  • The top of her arms flop in her nightgown, and she is unsteady when she walks.

Examples

  • At some point, Fosbury did his flop for the first time.

  • We're gonna have a belly-flop contest in the pool.

  • Siggy does a belly flop then comes up for air, furious.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Gooden then demonstrated a classic flop, hurling backward at the slightest touch of contact.

    Blog text (7)
  • During the high dive competition, she made a spectacular flop into the water that impressed the crowd.

  • He lost his balance and fell with a loud flop on the grass.

  • The dog did a playful flop onto his back, asking for a belly rub.

Synonyms

falling
vsflop
111 1.1

An act of dropping from a higher place

is a sudden forceful fall specifically with abruptness and impact
tumble
vsflop
46 2.9

A rolling fall or gymnastic turn of the body

is any sudden forceful fall without implying rotation or acrobatics
drop
vsflop
45 1.0

A sudden fall from a higher place to a lower place

involves collapsing or throwing oneself down rather than mere vertical movement
spill
vsflop
13 1.7

A sudden fall when someone loses balance while moving

is a sudden forceful fall but not only from upright motion
slip
vsflop
8 1.0

An accidental sliding that makes you lose your balance

is a sudden forceful fall involving weighty collapse rather than mere sliding
pratfall
vsflop
3 8.9

A fall in which someone lands on their bottom, often in a funny way

is a sudden forceful fall that is not mainly comic in purpose
wipeout
vsflop
2 4.7

A sudden fall that happens during a sport, often from a board or bike

is a sudden forceful fall not limited to sports crashes
belly flop
vsflop
1 4.1

A dive where the stomach hits the water flat and hurts

is any sudden forceful fall not only an abdominal water dive
belly flopper
vsflop
7.6

A dive where someone lands flat on their stomach and feels a painful hit

is a sudden forceful fall more general than a painful water dive

Compounds

26 2.5

An open sandal held on the foot by a strap between the big toe and the second toe

flip-flop
  • Literature
12 6.7

A sudden change in opinion or policy that reverses an earlier decision

1 4.1

A dive where the stomach hits the water flat and hurts

flip-flop
  • Specialized
1 8.1

An electronic circuit that stays in one of two states to store information

belly flop
  • Informal
4.4

An embarrassing failure of a plan, event, or show

Fosbury flop
  • Specialized
8.9

A high jump method where the jumper goes over the bar backwards, head first

How Sudden

collapse
350 4.1
plunge
20 4.0
flop
28 3.5
fall
191 1.0
slide
5 1.0

Surface Forms

flop singular
flops plural

Etymology

Flop comes from the simple sound 'flop' people use for a soft, heavy hit, like a fish landing or someone falling down. So a flop is a sudden, heavy fall or collapse.