FLIP (flipped, flipping)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does flip mean? 

• FLIP (noun)
  The noun FLIP has 6 senses:

1. an acrobatic feat in which the feet roll over the head (either forward or backward) and return

2. hot or cold alcoholic mixed drink containing a beaten egg

3. a sudden, quick movement

4. the act of flipping a coin

5. a dive in which the diver somersaults before entering the water

6. (sports) the act of throwing the ball to another member of your team

  Familiarity information: FLIP used as a noun is common.

• FLIP (adjective)
  The adjective FLIP has 1 sense:

1. marked by casual disrespect

  Familiarity information: FLIP used as an adjective is very rare.

• FLIP (verb)
  The verb FLIP has 11 senses:

1. lightly throw to see which side comes up

2. cause to go on or to be engaged or set in operation

3. look through a book or other written material

4. toss with a sharp movement so as to cause to turn over in the air

5. cause to move with a flick

6. throw or toss with a light motion

7. move with a flick or light motion

8. turn upside down, or throw so as to reverse

9. react in an excited, delighted, or surprised way

10. go mad, go crazy

11. reverse (a direction, attitude, or course of action)

  Familiarity information: FLIP used as a verb is familiar.

 Dictionary entry details 

• FLIP (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

An acrobatic feat in which the feet roll over the head (either forward or backward) and return

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

flip; somersault; somersaulting; somerset; summersault; summerset

Hypernyms ("flip" is a kind of...):

tumble (an acrobatic feat of rolling or turning end over end)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "flip"):

flip-flop (a backward somersault)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Hot or cold alcoholic mixed drink containing a beaten egg

Classified under:

Nouns denoting foods and drinks

Hypernyms ("flip" is a kind of...):

mixed drink (made of two or more ingredients)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A sudden, quick movement

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Context example:

the fish flipped over

Hypernyms ("flip" is a kind of...):

throw (the act of throwing (propelling something with a rapid movement of the arm and wrist))

Sense 4

Meaning:

The act of flipping a coin

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

flip; toss

Hypernyms ("flip" is a kind of...):

throw (casting an object in order to determine an outcome randomly)

Derivation:

flip (lightly throw to see which side comes up)

Sense 5

Meaning:

A dive in which the diver somersaults before entering the water

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("flip" is a kind of...):

dive; diving (a headlong plunge into water)

Sense 6

Meaning:

(sports) the act of throwing the ball to another member of your team

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

flip; pass; toss

Context example:

the pass was fumbled

Hypernyms ("flip" is a kind of...):

throw (the act of throwing (propelling something with a rapid movement of the arm and wrist))

Domain category:

athletics; sport (an active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "flip"):

centering; snap ((American football) putting the ball in play by passing it (between the legs) to a back)

Derivation:

flip (throw or toss with a light motion)

flip (cause to move with a flick)

flip (toss with a sharp movement so as to cause to turn over in the air)

• FLIP (adjective)

Declension: comparative and superlative

Sense 1

Meaning:

Marked by casual disrespect

Synonyms:

flip; impudent; insolent; snotty-nosed

Context example:

the student was kept in for impudent behavior

Similar:

disrespectful (exhibiting lack of respect; rude and discourteous)

• FLIP (verb)

Conjugation:

Sense 1

Meaning:

Lightly throw to see which side comes up

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

flip; toss

Context example:

I don't know what to do--I may as well flip a coin!

Hypernyms (to "flip" is one way to...):

turn (change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Something is ----ing PP
Somebody ----s something

Sentence example:

They flip the coin

Derivation:

flip (the act of flipping a coin)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Cause to go on or to be engaged or set in operation

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

flip; switch; throw

Context example:

throw the lever

Hypernyms (to "flip" is one way to...):

engage; lock; mesh; operate (keep engaged)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "flip"):

switch on; turn on (cause to operate by flipping a switch)

cut; switch off; turn off; turn out (cause to stop operating by disengaging a switch)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 3

Meaning:

Look through a book or other written material

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Synonyms:

flick; flip; leaf; riff; riffle; thumb

Context example:

She leafed through the volume

Hypernyms (to "flip" is one way to...):

peruse (examine or consider with attention and in detail)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s PP

Sense 4

Meaning:

Toss with a sharp movement so as to cause to turn over in the air

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

flip; twitch

Hypernyms (to "flip" is one way to...):

move (move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

flip ((sports) the act of throwing the ball to another member of your team)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Cause to move with a flick

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

flick; flip

Context example:

he flicked his Bic

Hypernyms (to "flip" is one way to...):

throw (propel through the air)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

flip ((sports) the act of throwing the ball to another member of your team)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Throw or toss with a light motion

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

flip; pitch; sky; toss

Context example:

toss me newspaper

Hypernyms (to "flip" is one way to...):

fling (throw with force or recklessness)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "flip"):

submarine (throw with an underhand motion)

lag (throw or pitch at a mark, as with coins)

throw back; toss back (throw back with a quick, light motion)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP

Sentence example:

The children flip the ball

Derivation:

flip ((sports) the act of throwing the ball to another member of your team)

Sense 7

Meaning:

Move with a flick or light motion

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "flip" is one way to...):

impel; propel (cause to move forward with force)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP

Derivation:

flipper (the flat broad limb of aquatic animals specialized for swimming)

flipper (a shoe for swimming; the paddle-like front is an aid in swimming (especially underwater))

Sense 8

Meaning:

Turn upside down, or throw so as to reverse

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

flip; flip over; turn over

Context example:

turn over the pancakes

Hypernyms (to "flip" is one way to...):

turn (change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sense 9

Meaning:

React in an excited, delighted, or surprised way

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Synonyms:

flip; flip out

Context example:

he flipped when he heard that he was accepted into Princeton University

Hypernyms (to "flip" is one way to...):

react; respond (show a response or a reaction to something)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Sense 10

Meaning:

Go mad, go crazy

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

flip; flip out

Context example:

He flipped when he heard that he was being laid off

Hypernyms (to "flip" is one way to...):

change (undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Sense 11

Meaning:

Reverse (a direction, attitude, or course of action)

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

alternate; flip; flip-flop; interchange; switch; tack

Hypernyms (to "flip" is one way to...):

change by reversal; reverse; turn (change to the contrary)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s something

 Context examples 

During these periods, the sun's magnetic poles flip.

(Sun's mood swings not so strange after all, Wikinews)

Magnetic north flips to the geographic South Pole and, eventually, back again.

(Earth's last magnetic field reversal took far longer than once thought, National Science Foundation)

A package that consists of molded plastic or laminate that has indentations (viewed as 'blisters' when flipped) into which a dosage form, is placed.

(Blister Pack, NCI Thesaurus)

“On such an occasion I will give you, Master Copperfield,” said Mrs. Micawber, “in a little more flip,” for we had been having some already, “the memory of my papa and mama.”

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

The blue light simply flips the switch from normal to boost mode.

(Researchers Develop Insulin-Producing Cells Activated by Light for Diabetes, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

“I am glad to meet you, sir,” said he, putting out a broad, fat hand like the flipper of a seal.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

These U-turns cause the density in the Milky Way’s stellar halo to drop dramatically where the stars flip directions.

(The Gaia Sausage: the major collision that changed the Milky Way, University of Cambridge)

Sidy Ndao, assistant professor of mechanical and materials engineering, said his research group's development of a nano-thermal-mechanical device, or thermal diode, came after flipping around the question of how to better cool computers.

(Harnessing Heat to Power Computers, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

The phospholipid PS is normally located on the inner leaflet of the plasma membrane of healthy cells but is flipped to the outer leaflet in the endothelial lining of the tumor vasculature and other tumor cells in response to chemo- or radio- treatments in addition to oxidative stress.

(Iodine I 124 Anti-phosphatidylserine Monoclonal Antibody PGN650, NCI Thesaurus)

The events of the day, in combination with the twins, if not with the flip, had made Mrs. Micawber hysterical, and she shed tears as she replied: I never will desert Mr. Micawber.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)