flip-flop
/ˈflɪpˌflɑp/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.47 in modern English
18
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
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.
British usage; American usage
noun
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.
noun
A somersault.
noun
A person or inhabitant of the Middle East, or a Muslim nation, particularly Afghanistan.
Derogatory; Offensive; Slang
Example Sentences
- "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"
- "On the break for strong left, everything remains the same, except for the flip-flop of positions."
- "BR's flip-flop attitude towards the two options can be observed in comments made by the BR chairman in September 1967, which were interpreted as meaning that the facts now have to be "adjusted" to prove the electrification case."
- "Ten two-state flip-flops […] were formed into ten-stage ring counters representing each decimal digit in the ten-digit accumulators […]"
- "We'll catch you on the flip-flop. This here's the Rubber Duck on the side. We gone, 'bye, 'bye."
- "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."
Etymology
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈflɪpˌflɑp/
- British English: /ˈflɪpˌflɒp/
Usage
- British usage
- American usage
- Slang
- Derogatory
- Offensive
- Intransitive verb
- Transitive verb