Flip

/flɪp/ adj, intj, noun, verb, slang

adj, intj, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: A maneuver which rotates an object end over end.
  • Grammar: flip is listed as adj, intj, noun, verb, slang.
  • Nearest alternatives: somersault, toss, about face, about-face.
  • Useful contrasts: continuity, decide by consensus, decide by discussion.
  • Usage evidence: You play the game by pounding the table when prompted, until the end where you flip the table over to send simulated food and cutlery flying.

How to use "flip"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "flip" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "flip" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "flip" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "flip" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "flip" is acting as adj, intj, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "somersault" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "flip", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A maneuver which rotates an object end over end. countable, uncountable

    "We'll decide this on a flip of a coin."

  2. 2
    A mixture of beer, spirit, etc., stirred and heated by a hot iron (a "flip dog"). uncountable

    "[H]e had provided vast quantities of strong beer, flip, rumbo, and burnt brandy, with plenty of Barbadoes water for the ladies […]."

  3. 3
    A Filipino; a person who is of Filipino background. derogatory, ethnic, slang, slur

    "One of the children beckoned to me to try it and I started forward, but before I could move Ryland grabbed my coat. "They're fucking Flips, kid. The only way to play is to be better than they are. Go all the way to the top.""

  4. 4
    Acronym of flexible loan insurance plan. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of
  5. 5
    (sports) the act of throwing the ball to another member of your team wordnet
Show 14 more definitions
  1. 6
    A complete change of direction, decision, movement etc. countable, uncountable
  2. 7
    an acrobatic feat in which the feet roll over the head (either forward or backward) and return wordnet
  3. 8
    A fillip or light blow. archaic, countable, uncountable

    "[…] who looked at Dean a moment, crossed over the stage to him, raised himself on his toes, dashed his own hat firmly down to his ears, and every one on the stage supposed Dean was about to receive a flip on the ear or nose."

  4. 9
    a dive in which the diver somersaults before entering the water wordnet
  5. 10
    A whit or jot; the tiniest amount. countable, dated, uncountable

    "I don't care a flip for what he says."

  6. 11
    the act of flipping a coin wordnet
  7. 12
    A short flight. countable, uncountable

    ""While that was going on, we were getting organized. There were some fifty or sixty of us to begin with. I took flips in the helicopter, and when I saw signs of a group anywhere, I'd go down and issue a general invitation to come along.""

  8. 13
    a sudden, quick movement wordnet
  9. 14
    A slingshot. US, countable, slang, uncountable

    "He loaded his flip and took careful aim at what he considered to be Emily's most vulnerable spot […]"

  10. 15
    a suite of internet protocols, which provide Security transparency, security and network management. wordnet
  11. 16
    A hairstyle popular among boys in the 1960s–70s and 2000s–10s, in which the hair goes halfway down the ears, at which point it sticks out countable, uncountable

    "Justin Bieber and Zac Efron are among the celebrities who wore a flip."

  12. 17
    hot or cold alcoholic mixed drink containing a beaten egg wordnet
  13. 18
    The purchase of an asset (usually a house) which is then improved and sold quickly for profit. countable, informal, uncountable

    "What they bring to the table is hard-won brass-tacks knowledge from over fifteen years of personal investing as well as riding shotgun on over 1,000 flips with their clients."

  14. 19
    The tendency of a gun's barrel to jerk about at the moment of firing. uncountable

    "In the case of rifles flip is counteracted by the sighting of the weapons, and it is because of flip that the sights cannot be set so that the line of sight is exactly parallel to the axis of the bore."

Verb
  1. 1
    To throw so as to turn over. transitive

    "You need to flip the pancake onto the other side."

  2. 2
    reverse (a direction, attitude, or course of action) wordnet
  3. 3
    To put into a quick revolving motion through a snap of the thumb and index finger. transitive

    "If you can't decide which option to go for, flip a coin."

  4. 4
    go mad, go crazy wordnet
  5. 5
    To win a state (or county) won by another party in the preceding elections. US, transitive

    "Wisconsin had been Democratic for decades, but the Republicans flipped it in 2016."

Show 19 more definitions
  1. 6
    react in an excited, delighted, or surprised way wordnet
  2. 7
    To turn state's evidence; to agree to testify against one's co-conspirators in exchange for concessions from prosecutors. US, intransitive

    "The mafioso flipped on his superiors to get a lighter sentence."

  3. 8
    turn upside down, or throw so as to reverse wordnet
  4. 9
    To induce someone to turn state's evidence; to get someone to agree to testify against their co-conspirators in exchange for concessions. US, transitive

    "The district attorney was able to strengthen his case against the bank robber by flipping the getaway driver."

  5. 10
    move with a flick or light motion wordnet
  6. 11
    To go berserk or crazy; to get extremely angry. intransitive, slang

    "I'd flip if anyone broke my phone."

  7. 12
    cause to go on or to be engaged or set in operation wordnet
  8. 13
    To go berserk or crazy; to be extremely thrilled or enthusiastic. intransitive, slang

    "Heading home from a party, two hipsters, completely stoned, pause to snuggle on a park bench. A fire engine roars by, bells clanging, sirens screaming. The boy flips. “Solid, doll,” he murmurs, “they’re playing our song!”"

  9. 14
    throw or toss with a light motion wordnet
  10. 15
    To purchase and resell assets (often real estate or artworks) for immediate short-term profit. slang, transitive

    "Those companies have been flipping houses in the real estate market for years."

  11. 16
    lightly throw to see which side comes up wordnet
  12. 17
    To refinance (a loan), accruing additional fees. slang, transitive

    "The bill makes it illegal to encourage borrowers to repeatedly refinance, or "flip," a loan primarily to collect more fees."

  13. 18
    cause to move with a flick wordnet
  14. 19
    To invert a bit (binary digit), changing it from 0 to 1 or from 1 to 0. transitive
  15. 20
    toss with a sharp movement so as to cause to turn over in the air wordnet
  16. 21
    To hand over or pass along. informal, transitive

    ""Flip me the details, and I'll have a sneaky beaky round for you.""

  17. 22
    look through a book or other written material wordnet
  18. 23
    To switch to another task, etc. informal, intransitive

    "I flipped from the calendar app to the email app and logged in to view Cooper's. The unreads were staggering; I'd have to triage them later."

  19. 24
    To flap. intransitive

    "Rising above it all, an American flag flipped in the breeze."

Adjective
  1. 1
    Having the quality of playfulness, or lacking seriousness of purpose. UK, informal

    "I hate to be flip, but perhaps we could steal a Christmas tree."

  2. 2
    Sarcastic.
  3. 3
    Disrespectful, flippant. informal

    "Don't get flip with me or I'll knock you into next Tuesday!"

Adjective
  1. 1
    marked by casual disrespect wordnet
Intj
  1. 1
    Used to express annoyance, especially when the speaker has made an error. UK, colloquial, euphemistic

    "What the flip just happened?"

Synonyms

All synonyms
somersaulttossabout faceabout-faceafterthoughtafterthoughts

Antonyms

continuitydecide by consensusdecide by discussionearnest

Example

"You play the game by pounding the table when prompted, until the end where you flip the table over to send simulated food and cutlery flying."

Common questions

What does "flip" mean?

A maneuver which rotates an object end over end.

What is a synonym for "flip"?

Common synonyms include: somersault, toss, about face, about-face, afterthought, afterthoughts.

How do you use "flip" in a sentence?

You play the game by pounding the table when prompted, until the end where you flip the table over to send simulated food and cutlery flying.

How do you pronounce "flip"?

Pronounced /flɪp/.

Etymology

Etymology 1

Alteration of earlier fillip, from Middle English filippen (“to make a signal or sound with thumb and right forefinger, snap the fingers”), an attenuated variation of flappen (“to flap, clap, slap, strike”). Cognate with Dutch flappen (“to flap”), German flappen (“to flap”).

Etymology 2

Non-vulgar euphemism for fuck.

Etymology 3

Clipping of flippant.

Etymology 4

Compare English dialect flip (“nimble, flippant, also, a slight blow”).

Etymology 5

Contraction of --- a clipping of Filipino.

More for "flip"

Synonyms

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