What does "flop" mean?

1. (to fall heavily) to sit or lie down heavily because you are very tired or relaxed. 2. (to fail) to fail completely, especially a movie, book, or business idea. 3. (to fake a foul) to fall down on purpose in a game to make the referee think you were fouled. 4. (a failure) a person or thing that is a total failure. 5. (flatly or directly) completely or directly, often describing how someone falls.

How do you use "flop"?

Often used with prepositions like 'on', 'onto', or 'down'.

flop

v. · n. · adv.

US //ˈfɫɑp// UK //flˈɒp// flop

1 to fall heavily (v.)
B1 Intermediate

to sit or lie down heavily because you are very tired or relaxed.

to fall or sit down suddenly and heavily, typically due to exhaustion or a lack of physical tension.

Example

After working for ten hours, he just wanted to flop onto the sofa.

Example

Exhausted by the marathon, the runner flopped onto the grass the moment she crossed the finishing line.

Usage

Often used with prepositions like 'on', 'onto', or 'down'.
2 to fail (v.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Informal

to fail completely, especially a movie, book, or business idea.

to be completely unsuccessful; used primarily for commercial or creative projects that fail to meet expectations.

Example

The expensive superhero movie flopped at the box office.

Example

Despite a massive marketing campaign, the startup's new social media app flopped within three months of its release.
- succeed
- triumph

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3 to fake a foul (v.)
C1 Advanced Informal Sport

to fall down on purpose in a game to make the referee think you were fouled.

to deliberately fall or stumble to deceive an official into calling a foul on an opponent.

Example

The basketball player flopped to get a free throw, but the ref saw it.

Example

The league began fining players who flopped, hoping to discourage the practice of exaggerating contact to manipulate the officials.

Teacher's tip

Common in American English for basketball; British English speakers usually use 'dive' for the same action in football (soccer).
- dive
4 a failure (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Informal

a person or thing that is a total failure.

a complete failure, particularly a theatrical production, film, or commercial product.

Example

The party was a total flop because nobody showed up.

Example

Critics predicted the play would be a hit, but it turned out to be a commercial flop and closed after one week.
- failure
- disaster
- dud
- hit
- success
5 flatly or directly (adv.)
C2 Proficiency Informal

completely or directly, often describing how someone falls.

in a flat, heavy, or direct manner; often used to describe the sound or motion of a fall.

Example

He fell flop on his face in the middle of the playground.

Example

The fish landed flop on the deck of the boat, startling the young fisherman.
- flat
- squarely

Origin

A syllabic acronym from floating-point operation.