as in disaster
something that has failed
the movie is such a flop that theaters showing it are the loneliest places in town
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
2
as in to collapse
to be unsuccessful
the attempt to run the ball into the end zone flopped, and our team lost by five points
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of flop
Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025
Sancho is a star in Germany (a goal involvement every 95 minutes for Dortmund) but a flop in England (a goal involvement every 244 minutes for Man United and Chelsea combined).
—Tim Spiers, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2025
Clara Hendrickson, Freep.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Phones don’t seem to be the long-term solution, pins flopped, and glasses haven’t compelled the masses yet.
—Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flop
Noun
Michael Cimino’s Heaven’s Gate, Kevin Costner’s Waterworld, Disney’s John Carter and, well, Cats, are a few major flops that audiences seemed to delight in, even if most people never saw the films themselves.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025
Sancho is a star in Germany (a goal involvement every 95 minutes for Dortmund) but a flop in England (a goal involvement every 244 minutes for Man United and Chelsea combined).
—Tim Spiers, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2025
Verb
Cellphone bill flop prompts finger-pointing Hall seized on the vote breakdown as an example of Democratic lawmakers out of step with Whitmer and out of touch with public support for cellphone restrictions at school.
—Clara Hendrickson, Freep.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Phones don’t seem to be the long-term solution, pins flopped, and glasses haven’t compelled the masses yet.
—Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flop
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flop
Noun
-
Bureau staff were told the group itself, already gutted as part of mass layoffs at the State Department in July, would refocus on migration diplomacy and disaster response rather than its traditional refugee focus.—
Ted Hesson,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
-
That question frames an episode that opens not with battle, but with the kind of stillness that comes before disaster.—
JP Mangalindan,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The white-domed arena, now gray with age and grime, didn’t resemble its namesake so much as a spaceship, a Starship Enterprise plopped amid high-rises.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
16 Sep. 2025
-
The Eagles plopped a second helping of victory on our plate.—
Brooks Kubena,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
By this time, the Soviet Union had collapsed, leading Manuylov to start a business in the candy trade.—
Maria Williams,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Luckily, the airport had a failsafe in the form of a ground material designed to collapse under the plane's weight and stop it in its tracks.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
These behaviors included; lifting one leg, spinning around on a perch, and flapping their wings on command (Figure 1B).—
GrrlScientist,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Birds can soar through the sky for long periods without flapping their wings.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Wilson argued the Charlotte attack resulted from several failures, from lax ticket enforcement to reliance on private security, rather than policies from Cooper’s tenure.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Now, as a photojournalist working with the Kansas City Defender and as the creator of the upcoming podcast Fountain City Files, Harrison focuses on stories involving missing Black women, systemic failures in law enforcement and community neglect.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Quick Packing Tips For A Longer Cruise Rolling rather than folding clothes can save space and help prevent deep creases, especially when combined with packing cubes.—
David Nikel,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Phones that fold in half like the Galaxy Z Fold and Google Pixel Pro Fold are usually thicker than your average phone when closed, sometimes resembling two phones stacked on top of one another.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN Money,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Later, Tom pours vodka into a Phillies cup and watches birds flutter by at night while Robbie gets his guns ready and shakes down a trap house.—
Grace Byron,
Vulture,
8 Sep. 2025
-
In the Lower West Side of Chicago, music blared and green, white and red flags fluttered down the streets of the predominantly Latino Pilsen neighborhood on Saturday as crowds gathered for the start of Mexican Independence Day celebrations.—
Danya Gainor,
CNN Money,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
But to say — as some Panthers fans are doing these days — that he should immediately be traded or is a complete draft bust is an over-exaggeration.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
16 Sep. 2025
-
In the cover image of the carousel, Sweeney posed solo on a rock formation set in the middle of a body of water while wearing a cleavage-baring one-piece black swimsuit with a zipper detail at her bust and black shades.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flop.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flop. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share