to swing or sway back and forth loosely, especially with noise: A loose shutter flapped outside the window.
to move up and down, as wings; flap the wings, or make similar movements.
to strike a blow with something broad and flexible.
Slang. to become excited or confused, especially under stress: a seasoned diplomat who doesn't flap easily.
verb (used with object),flapped,flap·ping.
to move (wings, arms, etc.) up and down.
to cause to swing or sway loosely, especially with noise.
to strike with something broad and flat.
to toss, fold, shut, etc., smartly, roughly, or noisily.
Phonetics. to pronounce (a sound) with articulation resembling that of a flap: The British often flap their r's.
noun
something flat and broad that is attached at one side only and hangs loosely or covers an opening: the flap of an envelope; the flap of a pocket.
either of the two segments of a book jacket folding under the book's front and back covers.
one leaf of a folding door, shutter, or the like.
a flapping motion.
the noise produced by something that flaps.
a blow given with something broad and flat.
Slang.
a state of nervous excitement, commotion, or disorganization.
an emergency situation.
scandal; trouble.
Surgery. a portion of skin or flesh that is partially separated from the body and may subsequently be transposed by grafting.
Aeronautics. a movable surface used for increasing the lift or drag of an airplane.
Phonetics.
a rapid flip of the tongue tip against the upper teeth or alveolar ridge, as in the r-sound in a common British pronunciation of very, or the t-sound in the common American pronunciation of water.
a trill.
a flipping out of the lower lip from a position of pressure against the upper teeth so as to produce an audible pop, as in emphatic utterances containing f-sounds or v-sounds.
Building Trades.
Also called back·flap hinge[bak-flap hinj], /ˈbækˌflæp ˈhɪndʒ/, flap hinge .a hinge having a strap or plate for screwing to the face of a door, shutter, or the like.
one leaf of a hinge.
Origin of flap
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English flappe “a blow, slap,” flappen “to hit, slap”; compare Dutch flap, flappen
Tissue used in surgical grafting that is only partially detached from its donor site so that it continues to be nourished during transfer to the recipient site.