flip-flop

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flip-flop

/ˈflɪpˌflɒp/ UK
/ˈflɪpˌflɑp/ US

Where it comes from

Onomatopoeic. Most probably an imitation of the sound produced when walking in them.

noun flip-flops · flip flop · flipflop

UK, US A sandal consisting of a rubber sole fastened to the foot by a rubber thong fitting between the toes and around the sides of the foot. the necessity for yet another place at which to buy a polo shirt or a pair of flip-flops may not be apparent to the town's residents
Similar: flippy-flop, go-ahead, jandal, thong, plugger, slop, chancla, zori, beach sandal, slipper
idiomatic A change of places; an inversion or swap. On the break for strong left, everything remains the same, except for the flip-flop of positions.
US, idiomatic An instance of flip-flopping, of repeatedly changing one's stated opinion about a matter.
A bistable; an electronic switching circuit that has either two stable states (switching between them in response to a trigger) or a stable and an unstable state (switching from one to the other and back again in response to a trigger), and which is thereby capable of serving as one bit of memory. Ten two-state flip-flops […] were formed into ten-stage ring counters representing each decimal digit in the ten-digit accumulators […]
The sound of a regular footfall.
A somersault.
US, slang A return trip. We'll catch you on the flip-flop. This here's the Rubber Duck on the side. We gone, 'bye, 'bye.
derogatory, offensive, slang A person or inhabitant of the Middle East, or a Muslim nation, particularly Afghanistan.

verb flip-flops · flip-flopping · flip-flopped · flip flop · flipflop

idiomatic, intransitive, transitive To alternate back and forth between directly opposite opinions, ideas, or decisions. Trump used to be able to hold the factions together, Taylor said, but these tensions – plus Trump’s flip-flopping about the Epstein files – have collapsed the coalition.
Similar: U-turn, vacillate

Translations

Every language

noun repeatedly changing one’s stated opinion

日本語	ぶれる bureru, ふらふらさせる furafura saseru

noun bistable electronic circuit

Español	biestable
한국어	플립플롭 peullip'peullop
日本語	フリップフロップ furippu-furoppu, ビーチサンダル bīchi sandaru
中文	觸發器 /触发器 chùfāqì, 正反器 zhèngfǎnqì
हिन्दी	द्विमानित्र dvimānitra
Português	flip-flop
Français	bascule
Deutsch	Flipflop
Română	bistabil

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MLA

"flip-flop." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/flip-flop. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

flip-flop. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/flip-flop

Chicago

"flip-flop." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/flip-flop.

BibTeX

@misc{flip_flop_2026,
  title = {flip-flop},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/flip-flop},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}