1
: a stroke with something broad : slap
2
obsolete
: something broad and flat used for striking
3
: something that is broad, limber, or flat and usually thin and that hangs loose or projects freely: such as
a
: a piece on a garment that hangs free
b
: a part of a book jacket that folds under the book's cover
c
: a piece of tissue partly severed from its place of origin for use in surgical grafting
d
: an extended part forming the closure (as of an envelope or carton)
4
: the motion of something broad and limber (such as a sail or wing)
5
: a movable auxiliary airfoil usually attached to an airplane wing's trailing edge to increase lift or drag see airplane illustration
7
: a consonant (such as the sound \d\ in ladder and \t\ in latter) characterized by a single rapid contact of the tongue or lower lip against another point in the mouth
called also tap
flapped; flapping
1
: to beat with or as if with a flap
2
: to toss sharply : fling
3
: to move or cause to move in flaps
1
: to sway loosely usually with a noise of striking and especially when moved by wind
2
a
: to beat or pulsate wings or something suggesting wings
b
: to progress by flapping
c
: to flutter ineffectively
3
: to talk foolishly and persistently
Synonyms
Examples of flap in a Sentence
Noun
She opened the tent flap and crawled outside.
the inside flap of a book's cover
a loose flap of skin
Verb
The breeze flapped the sails.
The flag flapped in the breeze.
The bird's wings were flapping.
Recent Examples on the Web
Thomas Ricker, The Verge, 31 Oct. 2024
The style, which debuted in 2006, features a flap construction and is made with buttery leather that only gets softer with time.
—Robyn Merrett, StyleCaster, 8 Oct. 2024
Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2024
His bioluminescent wings seemed to have been caught flapping in this beat between time.
—Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 18 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for flap 
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Noun
At the top of the hour all 69 flaps shuffle at once to display the time in numbers.
—Thomas Ricker, The Verge, 31 Oct. 2024
The style, which debuted in 2006, features a flap construction and is made with buttery leather that only gets softer with time.
—Robyn Merrett, StyleCaster, 8 Oct. 2024
Verb
Using a pair of Joy-Con controllers (the gyroscope-enabled snap-on bits of a Nintendo Switch), players must physically flap their arms to ascend and tilt the controllers to steer.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2024
His bioluminescent wings seemed to have been caught flapping in this beat between time.
—Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 18 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for flap
Dictionary Entries Near flap
Cite this Entry
“Flap.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flap. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
flap
1 of 2 noun2
: a broad, limber, or flat piece that hangs loose (as on a pocket or envelope)
3
: the motion or sound of a flap
4
: a movable part of an airplane wing that is attached to the trailing edge of the wing and that is used to increase lift or drag
flap
2 of 2 verb
flapped; flapping
2
: to move or cause to move with a beating motion
flapping its wings
Medical Definition
flap
noun
: a piece of tissue partly severed from its place of origin for use in surgical grafting
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