flip
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flip¹
- /flɪp/
Rhymes with -ɪp
Where it comes from
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”).
noun flips
- A maneuver which rotates an object end over end. We'll decide this on a flip of a coin.
- A complete change of direction, decision, movement etc.
-
A fillip or light blow.
[…] 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.
Similar: flick
-
A whit or jot; the tiniest amount.
I don't care a flip for what he says.
Similar: bit, ace, atom, thought, atomy, aught, bissel, continental, crumb, glimpse, dab, damn
- A short flight. "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."
- A slingshot. He loaded his flip and took careful aim at what he considered to be Emily's most vulnerable spot […]
- 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. Justin Bieber and Zac Efron are among the celebrities who wore a flip.
- The purchase of an asset (usually a house) which is then improved and sold quickly for profit. 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.
- The tendency of a gun's barrel to jerk about at the moment of firing. 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 flips · flipping · flipped
-
To throw so as to turn over.
You need to flip the pancake onto the other side.
Similar: flip over, turn, turn over, turn upside down
-
To put into a quick revolving motion through a snap of the thumb and index finger.
If you can't decide which option to go for, flip a coin.
Similar: toss
- To win a state (or county) won by another party in the preceding elections. Wisconsin had been Democratic for decades, but the Republicans flipped it in 2016.
- To turn state's evidence; to agree to testify against one's co-conspirators in exchange for concessions from prosecutors. The mafioso flipped on his superiors to get a lighter sentence.
- To induce someone to turn state's evidence; to get someone to agree to testify against their co-conspirators in exchange for concessions. The district attorney was able to strengthen his case against the bank robber by flipping the getaway driver.
- To go berserk or crazy; to get extremely angry. I'd flip if anyone broke my phone.
- To go berserk or crazy; to be extremely thrilled or enthusiastic. 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!”
- To purchase and resell assets (often real estate or artworks) for immediate short-term profit. Those companies have been flipping houses in the real estate market for years.
- To refinance (a loan), accruing additional fees. The bill makes it illegal to encourage borrowers to repeatedly refinance, or "flip," a loan primarily to collect more fees.
- To invert a bit (binary digit), changing it from 0 to 1 or from 1 to 0.
- To hand over or pass along. "Flip me the details, and I'll have a sneaky beaky round for you."
- To switch to another task, etc. 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.
- To put on a (facial expression). I knew he was kidding because he flipped a grin at me.
- To flap. Rising above it all, an American flag flipped in the breeze.
flip²
- /flɪp/
Rhymes with -ɪp
Where it comes from
Non-vulgar euphemism for fuck.
interjection
-
Used to express annoyance, especially when the speaker has made an error.
What the flip just happened?
Similar: damn
flip³
- /flɪp/
Rhymes with -ɪp
Where it comes from
Clipping of flippant.
adjective flipper · flippest
- Having the quality of playfulness, or lacking seriousness of purpose. I hate to be flip, but perhaps we could steal a Christmas tree.
- Sarcastic.
-
Disrespectful, flippant.
Don't get flip with me or I'll knock you into next Tuesday!
Similar: cheeky
flip⁴
- /flɪp/
Rhymes with -ɪp
Where it comes from
Compare English dialect flip (“nimble, flippant, also, a slight blow”).
noun
-
A mixture of beer, spirit, etc., stirred and heated by a hot iron (a "flip dog").
[H]e had provided vast quantities of strong beer, flip, rumbo, and burnt brandy, with plenty of Barbadoes water for the ladies […].
Similar: flannel
Flip⁵
Where it comes from
Contraction of --- a clipping of Filipino.
noun Flips
- A Filipino; a person who is of Filipino background. 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."
Flip⁶
proper noun
- A nickname for Philippa.
FLIP⁷
noun FLIPs
- Acronym of flexible loan insurance plan
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: flip over, toss, throw, flick, jerk, pass, turn over, interchange, flip-flop, alternate, somersaulting, somersault, switch, insolent, impudent, riffle
Translations
Every language
noun maneuver which rotates an object end-over-end
| Español | volteo |
|---|---|
| Italiano | giravolta, capovolta |
| Русский | переворо́т perevorót, са́льто sálʹto, подбра́сывание podbrásyvanije |
noun complete change of direction
| Español | cambio de sentido, preposteración |
|---|
noun hairstyle
| Español | alas, peinado flip |
|---|
verb to go berserk or crazy
| Español | flipar |
|---|---|
| Português | flipar |
| Deutsch | ausflippen |
| Italiano | impazzirsi |
| Ελληνικά | φλιπάρω flipáro |
| Русский | взбеси́ться vzbesítʹsja, свихну́ться svixnútʹsja, спя́тить spjátitʹ, рехну́ться rexnútʹsja |
verb to throw (as in to turn over)
| Español | darle vuelta, voltear, preposterar, volcar, poner “al revés” / “de revés” |
|---|---|
| Português | virar |
| Français | retourner |
| Deutsch | umdrehen, wenden, schwenken |
| Italiano | capovolgere, spadellare, rovesciare, rivoltare |
| Română | a întoarce, a răsturna |
| Русский | перевора́чивать perevoráčivatʹ, переверну́ть perevernútʹ |
| العربية | قَلَبَ qalaba |
verb to put into a quick revolving motion through a snap of the thumb and index finger
| Français | donner une pichenette |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | werfen |
| Русский | подбра́сывать podbrásyvatʹ, подбро́сить podbrósitʹ, броса́ть brosátʹ, бро́сить brósitʹ, мета́ть metátʹ, метну́ть metnútʹ |
Talk about this word "flip." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/flip. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. flip. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/flip "flip." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/flip.Cite this
@misc{flip_2026,
title = {flip},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/flip},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
