flop

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle), Verb (intransitive)

CIDE DICTIONARY

flop, v. t. [A variant of flap.].

•  To clap or strike, as a bird its wings, a fish its tail, etc.; to flap.  [1913 Webster]
•  To turn suddenly, as something broad and flat.  Fielding.  [1913 Webster]

flop, v. i. 

•  To strike about with something broad and flat, as a fish with its tail, or a bird with its wings; to rise and fall; as, the brim of a hat flops.  [1913 Webster]
•  To fall, sink, or throw one's self, heavily, clumsily, and unexpectedly on the ground.  Dickens.  [1913 Webster]

flop, n. 

 Act of flopping.  W. H. Russell.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

flop, v., n., & adv.
--v.intr. (flopped, flopping)
1 sway about heavily or loosely (hair flopped over his face).
2 move in an ungainly way (flopped along the beach in flippers).
3 (often foll. by down, on, into) sit, kneel, lie, or fall awkwardly or suddenly (flopped down on to the bench).
4 sl. (esp. of a play, film, book, etc.) fail; collapse (flopped on Broadway).
5 sl. sleep.
6 make a dull sound as of a soft body landing, or of a flat thing slapping water.
--n.
1 a a flopping movement. b the sound made by it.
2 sl. a failure.
3 sl. esp. US a bed.
--adv. with a flop.

Idiom

flop-house sl. esp. US a doss-house.

Etymology

var. of FLAP

DEVIL DICTIONARY

flop

v. Suddenly to change one's opinions and go over to another party. The most notable flop on record was that of Saul of Tarsus, who has been severely criticised as a turn-coat by some of our partisan journals.

THESAURUS

flop

Grand Guignol, Passion play, Tom show, also-ran, alter, ameliorate, antimasque, audience success, bag, ballet, bang, bankrupt, be a gas, be a hit, be changed, be converted into, be renewed, beat, beating, bed, bicker, bill, bomb, bottom out, break, broadcast drama, bump, burlesque show, burst, bust, cascade, cave, cave in, change, charade, checker, chop, chop and change, clanger, clap, clash, cliff hanger, closet drama, collapse, come about, come around, come round, come to naught, come to nothing, comedy drama, crack, crap out, crash, crawl in, critical success, cropper, crump, culbute, daggle, dance, dangle, daytime serial, debacle, decline, degenerate, depend, deteriorate, deviate, dialogue, disaster, dive, diverge, diversify, documentary drama, doss down, drabble, drag, draggle, drama, dramalogue, dramatic play, dramatic series, dramatize, drape, draw a blank, droop, drop a bomb, drop down, drop the ball, dud, dull thud, duodrama, duologue, epic theater, experimental theater, extravaganza, fail, failure, fall, fall down, fall flat, false alarm, fan, feature, fiasco, fizzle, flap, flat failure, flick, flicker, flip, flit, flitter, flop down, floperoo, flow, flummox, flump, flump down, flutter, fold, fold up, forced landing, founder, frost, gasser, get left, give way, giveaway, go down, go pitapat, gutter, hang, hang down, happening, haul around, header, headline, hit, hit show, hit the hay, hit the sack, improve, improvisational drama, jibe, kip down, knock, lapse, lay an egg, legitimate drama, lemon, lop, lose out, loser, lower, make a hit, masque, meliorate, melodrama, melodramatize, minstrel show, miracle, miracle play, mitigate, modulate, monodrama, monologue, morality, morality play, mount, music drama, musical revue, mutate, mystery, mystery play, nod, not hack it, not make it, open, open a show, opera, pageant, palpitate, palpitation, panel show, pantomime, pastoral, pastoral drama, pend, piece, pile in, pitapat, pitter-patter, play, playlet, plop, plop down, plump, plunge, pratfall, premiere, present, preview, problem play, produce, psychodrama, pulse, put on, quiver, quiz show, radio drama, rap, report, review, revive, revue, roll in, sack out, sack up, sag, scenarize, sensational play, serial, set, set the stage, settle, settle down, shake, shift, show, sink, sink down, sitcom, situation comedy, sketch, skit, slam, slap, slat, slouch, slump, slump down, smack, soap, soap opera, sociodrama, spectacle, spill, splat, splutter, sprawl, sputter, stage, stage play, stage show, star, straight drama, strike out, stumble, submerge, subside, succeed, success, suspense drama, swag, swap, swerve, swing, tableau, tableau vivant, tack, take a turn, take the count, talk show, tap, teleplay, television drama, television play, theater of cruelty, theatricalize, throb, thwack, topple, total loss, total theater, trail, trip, try out, tumble, turkey, turn, turn aside, turn in, turn into, turn the corner, undergo a change, variety show, vary, vaudeville, vaudeville show, veer, vehicle, warp, wash out, washout, wave, waver, weep, whack, wham, whap, whiff, whomp, whop, word-of-mouth success, work, worsen

ROGET THESAURUS

flop

Agitation

VB be agitated, shake, tremble, tremble like an aspen leaf, quiver, quaver, quake, shiver, twitter, twire, writhe, toss, shuffle, tumble, stagger, bob, reel, sway, wag, waggle, wriggle, wriggle like an eel, dance, stumble, shamble, flounder, totter, flounce, flop, curvet, prance, cavort, squirm, throb, pulsate, beat, palpitate, go pitapat, flutter, flitter, flicker, bicker, bustle, ferment, effervesce, foam, boil, boil over, bubble up, simmer, toss about, jump about, jump like a parched pea, shake like an aspen leaf, shake to its center, shake to its foundations, be the sport of the winds and waves, reel to and fro like a drunken man, move from post to pillar and from pillar to post, drive from post to pillar and from pillar to post, keep between hawk and buzzard, agitate, shake, convulse, toss, tumble, bandy, wield, brandish, flap, flourish, whisk, jerk, hitch, jolt, jog, joggle, jostle, buffet, hustle, disturb, stir, shake up, churn, jounce, wallop, whip, vellicate.