flip
flip — verb
1. to cause something to change position suddenly by turning it, so that the side t
to cause something to change position suddenly by turning it, so that the side that was facing down is now facing up, or the thing is now in a reversed position
Ada flipped the light switch, and the room went dark.
transitive: flip + object (switch)
The strong wind flipped the garden umbrella inside out.
passive context: flipped by natural force
Brandon flipped the page and continued reading his novel.
The car hit a patch of ice and flipped onto its roof.
intransitive: car flips (no object)
- flip a switch
- flip a page
- flip the lid
- flip the mattress
- flip over
- leave in place
opposite action of flipping something
- stabilize
to prevent from turning over
Grammar Patterns
flip + noun phrase
flip + noun phrase + over
noun phrase + flips
Usage Note
The transitive form takes an object such as a switch, page, mattress, or lid. The intransitive form (e.g., 'the car flipped') describes something turning over on its own, often accidentally.
Common Mistakes
2. to cook food on a hot surface, turning each side towards the heat so that it bec
to cook food on a hot surface, turning each side towards the heat so that it becomes evenly browned or crisp
The chef carefully flipped the omelette with a quick motion of the wrist.
cooking context: flip + food item
Sivan stood at the stove, flipping pancakes for her younger brother.
Hassan flipped the burger before the bottom side started to burn.
The smell of bacon filled the kitchen while Lien flipped the strips carefully.
collocation: flip + bacon strips
- flip a pancake
- flip a burger
- flip an omelette
- flip bacon
- burn
what happens if you do not flip food in time
Grammar Patterns
flip + food noun
Usage Note
Almost always transitive, with the food item as direct object. Commonly used with pancakes, burgers, omelettes, and bacon.
Common Mistakes
3. to throw a coin into the air so that it spins and falls back down, in order to m
to throw a coin into the air so that it spins and falls back down, in order to make a random choice based on which side lands facing upward
Devika flipped a coin to decide who would go first in the game.
flip a coin + infinitive of purpose
The referee flipped the coin before the match to choose which team kicks off.
Gabriela flipped the coin; it landed on tails, so she won the bet.
Instead of arguing, they agreed to flip a coin for the last piece of cake.
pattern: flip a coin + for + stake
- flip a coin
- flip for it
- toss a coin
interchangeable; slightly more common in British English
- spin a coin
different method (spinning on a flat surface instead of throwing in the air)
Grammar Patterns
flip + a coin
Usage Note
Almost always used in the fixed phrase 'flip a coin'. The purpose clause is often introduced by 'to' or 'for'. 'Toss a coin' is a common alternative in British English.
Common Mistakes
4. to buy a property—for example, a house or an apartment—make repairs or improveme
to buy a property—for example, a house or an apartment—make repairs or improvements to it, and then sell it again soon for more than you paid, instead of keeping it
Tariq bought an old house, fixed it up, and flipped it for a nice profit.
sequence: buy → fix → flip → profit
Some investors make a living by flipping apartments in busy city centres.
Joon and his partner flipped three properties last year in the suburbs.
pattern: flip + number + properties
The couple lost money when they tried to flip a house during the market downturn.
- flip a house
- flip a property
- flip an apartment
- flip real estate
- resell quickly
descriptive phrase rather than a single-word synonym; less specific about the improvement aspect
- hold
to keep a property for long-term investment or use
Grammar Patterns
flip + noun phrase (property)
Usage Note
Subject is typically an investor, developer, or individual buyer. The property is almost always residential real estate. This sense became common in the 1970s and is especially frequent in American English.
Common Mistakes
5. to stop being loyal to one group, organization, or country and start working for
to stop being loyal to one group, organization, or country and start working for or giving secret information to the opposing side
The intelligence officer flipped and began working for the foreign agency.
intransitive: agent flips to other side
When the gang leader was arrested, two of his men flipped on him.
flip on + person (inform against)
The double agent had flipped to the other side years before anyone suspected.
The government tried to flip enemy officers by offering them safety and money.
- flip to the other side
- flip on someone
- flip an agent
- defect
more formal; implies leaving one's own country or group permanently
- switch sides
more general; can apply to non-secret situations
- turn
common in espionage contexts; 'turn a spy'
- stay loyal
to remain faithful to one's original group
- remain
to not change sides
Grammar Patterns
flip + (to/for + side)
flip + on + person
Usage Note
When 'flip' is used transitively in this sense, the subject is the person or agency doing the persuading, and the object is the person being turned. The preposition 'on' introduces the person who is betrayed.
6. to give evidence in court against a person you were jointly accused with, usuall
to give evidence in court against a person you were jointly accused with, usually in exchange for a less severe punishment; or to persuade a co-accused to do this
The prosecutor persuaded the junior member to flip on the crime boss.
transitive causative: someone is persuaded to flip
Ada agreed to flip and testify against her former business partner.
Facing a long sentence, the driver flipped and told the court everything he knew.
intransitive: defendant flips voluntarily
The defence lawyer tried to flip the witness by offering a reduced charge.
- flip on a co-accused
- flip a witness
- flip someone
- turn state's witness
the formal legal phrase in American English
- turn king's evidence
the equivalent British phrase; 'queen's evidence' when the monarch is female
- stand trial
to face charges without cooperating with prosecutors
- remain silent
to exercise the right not to incriminate oneself
Grammar Patterns
flip + on + co-accused
flip + someone
flip + someone + on + someone else
Usage Note
Highly specific to American criminal law. 'Flip on' introduces the person testified against. The intransitive use means the person agrees to testify; the transitive use means someone persuades them to do so.
7. to change which political party you support; or to cause a person, district, or
to change which political party you support; or to cause a person, district, or region to change its political allegiance
The senator flipped parties after disagreeing with the new policy direction.
intransitive: politician flips parties
Young voters helped flip the district from conservative to progressive.
transitive: voters flip a district
Several key politicians flipped their allegiance during the election campaign.
The state flipped to the other party for the first time in fifty years.
intransitive: region flips politically
- flip a district
- flip a seat
- flip a state
- flip parties
- flip allegiance
- change parties
more formal; neutral in tone
- defect
stronger; implies abandoning one's party with negative connotations
- cross over
common in US politics; 'cross party lines'
Grammar Patterns
flip + to + party
flip + noun phrase (region/district)
flip + allegiance
Usage Note
Very common in election reporting, especially in US politics where 'flip' describes a district or state changing from one party to another. The transitive form ('flip a seat / district') means to win it from the opposing party.
flip through
phrasal verbto look quickly at the pages of a book, magazine, or similar items by turning them over rapidly, without reading carefully
Élise flipped through the magazine while waiting at the dentist's office.
Christopher flipped through the photo album, laughing at the old pictures.
flip out
phrasal verbto become very angry, excited, or emotionally upset, often suddenly
Aarav flipped out when he found out his flight had been cancelled.
The fans flipped out when the singer walked on stage.
flip over
phrasal verbto turn something so that the side that was on the bottom is now on top, or for something to turn in this way
The fish was so fresh that it nearly flipped over on the grill by itself.
Ada flipped over the stone and found a small crab underneath.
flip your lid
idiomto become extremely angry or lose control of your emotions suddenly
My dad flipped his lid when he saw the scratch on the new car.
The coach flipped his lid after the team lost the championship game by a single point.
flip burgers
idiomTo work at a fast-food restaurant cooking food, often seen as a low-level job.
After college, Maya flipped burgers at a local diner for a year.
Brian flipped burgers during summer break to save money for a car.
flip — noun
1. a quick turning or rolling movement in which something goes over once or more, e
a quick turning or rolling movement in which something goes over once or more, either partially or completely
The gymnast performed a perfect back flip off the balance beam.
countable noun with adjective: back flip
With one quick flip, the pages of the book scattered across the floor.
pattern: with a flip
Aarav landed the dive with a full flip before entering the water.
The whole decision came down to the flip of a coin that morning.
- back flip
- front flip
- coin flip
- with a flip
- a quick flip
- turn
less specific; can be slower or partial
- somersault
specifically a full body rotation in gymnastics
- spin
implies rotation around an axis rather than turning over
Grammar Patterns
a flip
with a flip
Usage Note
Can describe both physical acrobatic movements (a somersault) and simple mechanical motions (the flip of a page or switch). 'A coin flip' refers specifically to the act of tossing a coin to decide something.
flip — adjective
1. showing a lack of seriousness or respect when the situation calls for a more tho
showing a lack of seriousness or respect when the situation calls for a more thoughtful or polite attitude
Christopher's flip remark about the presentation upset his colleagues.
attributive: flip + remark
Mika gave a flip answer when the teacher asked why her homework was late.
The manager was not amused by Hassan's flip attitude during the meeting.
Grandma found his flip tone entirely unsuitable for the funeral service.
predicative: flip + tone / attitude / remark
- flip remark
- flip answer
- flip attitude
- flip comment
- serious
showing appropriate thoughtfulness
- respectful
showing proper regard for others
Grammar Patterns
flip + noun
be + flip
Usage Note
A shortened, informal form of 'flippant'. Always carries a mildly negative or disapproving tone. More common in American English than British English.
Common Mistakes
flip — exclamation
1. a mild expression of annoyance, frustration, or disappointment, similar in force
a mild expression of annoyance, frustration, or disappointment, similar in force to 'darn' or 'oh no'
Flip! I forgot to bring my wallet to the restaurant.
exclamation at start of sentence
Oh flip, the bus has already left without us.
pattern: Oh flip + clause
Flip! The cake is burnt on the bottom again.
Flip! I left my keys inside the locked car.
Grammar Patterns
Flip! + sentence
Usage Note
Considered mildly impolite in formal settings but much weaker than stronger swear words. Used primarily in British English. Can also appear as 'flipping' in phrases like 'flipping heck'.
Word family
- flipsverbB1
- flippedverbB1
- flippingverbB1
- flippernounB2
- flippantadjectiveC1
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/1
All four words describe moving something from one position to another, but they differ in speed, force, and the type of motion involved. 'Flip' implies a quick, light turning motion — often a full 180-degree rotation — as in flipping a pancake or a page. 'Turn over' is the most general term; it can describe any slow, careful, or partial rotation (turning over a mattress, turning over a card). 'Toss' adds the idea of throwing through the air, often with some spin, and is most natural for coin-flipping or lightly throwing an object to someone. 'Flick' is the lightest and fastest of the group — a very small, sharp movement using fingers or a wrist, such as flicking a speck of dust off your sleeve. In practice: you flip a pancake in the pan, you turn over a piece of paper to read the back, you toss a coin to decide who goes first, and you flick a switch to turn on the light.
Common collocations
Etymology
The verb 'flip' first appeared in English in the early 1500s, likely created as an imitation of the light, quick sound of something turning over — a type of word called echoic or onomatopoeic. Its original meaning was to make a light snapping or flicking motion. By the 1600s, it was used for tossing pancakes and other food. The noun sense (a somersault or quick turn) followed in the 1800s. The real-estate sense (buy, improve, and resell quickly) developed in the 1970s. The informal adjective 'flip', short for 'flippant', has been in use since the mid-1800s.