flop
/flɑp/verb, noun, interjection, adverb
flop is spelled F-L-O-P: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 3.6 times per million words in written English, the 13,695th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, flop means “To fall heavily due to lack of energy” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in flop?
| Letters | 4: F-L-O-P |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.6 times per million words; the 13,695th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is flop?
Flop appears 3.6 times per million words in written English, the 13,695th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce flop?
- UK /flɒp/
- British /flɔp/
- US /flɑp/
Flop has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-flop.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with flop?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as flop from its last stressed vowel (/ɑp/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of flop
- flops present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- flopping participle, present
- flopped participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does flop mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To fall heavily due to lack of energy.
He flopped down in front of the television, exhausted from work.
- 2
To cause to drop heavily.
The tired mule flopped its ears forward and trudged on.
- 3
informalTo fail completely; not to be successful at all (of a movie, play, book, song etc.).
The latest album flopped and so the studio canceled her contract.
- 4
To pretend to be fouled in sports, such as basketball, hockey (the same as to dive in soccer)
It starts with Chris Paul, because Blake didn't really used to flop like that, you know, last year.
- 5
To strike about with something broad and flat, as a fish with its tail, or a bird with its wings; to rise and fall; to flap.
The brim of a hat flops.
- 6
To have (a hand) using the community cards dealt on the flop.
Both players flopped sets! Cards dealt on the flop: Q95. Player A's hole cards: 55 (making three of a kind: 555). Player B's hole cards: QQ (making three of a kind: QQQ).
- 7
slangTo stay, sleep or live in a place.
- 8
To flip; to reverse (an image).
noun
- 1
A heavy, passive fall; a plopping down.
- 2
A complete failure, especially in the entertainment industry.
- 3
The first three cards turned face-up by the dealer in a community card poker game.
- 4
Dung, as in cow-flop.
- 5
slangA flophouse.
- 6
Abbreviation of floating-point operation.
- 7
One floating-point operation per second, a unit of measure of processor speed.
interjection
- 1
Indicating the sound of something flopping.
adverb
- 1
Right, squarely, flat-out.
She fell flop on the floor.
- 2
With a flopping sound.
noun
- 1
Synonym of flop.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Flop in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | s'effondrer, s'affaler , faire un four, faire un bide, faire un flop, être un fiasco |
| German | plumpsen, hinplumpsen , versagen, scheitern, floppen, misslingen |
| Portuguese | colapsar , ser um fiasco, flopar , fiasco, flop |
| Spanish | desplomarse, colapsar, dejarse caer , fracasar |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does flop come from?
Recorded since 1602, probably a variant of flap with a duller, heavier sound.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).