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[flaps] /flæps/
noun, (used with a singular verb) Veterinary Pathology
swelling of the lips of a horse.
flap (noun) + -s3


[flap] /flæp/
verb (used without object), flapped, flapping.
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, flapping.
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.
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.
  1. a state of nervous excitement, commotion, or disorganization.
  2. an emergency situation.
  3. 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.
  1. 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.
  2. a trill.
  3. 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.
  1. Also called backflap hinge, flap hinge. a hinge having a strap or plate for screwing to the face of a door, shutter, or the like.
  2. one leaf of a hinge.
1275-1325; Middle English flappe a blow, slap, flappen to hit, slap; compare Dutch flap, flappen
Related forms
flapless, adjective
unflapping, adjective Unabridged
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Examples for flaps
  • Tape together the box-top flaps, then cut along three sides of the top so that a hinged lid remains.
  • Elephants may look alike to you and me, but the shapes of their ear flaps and their tusks set them apart.
  • Laundry flaps from clotheslines and paint peels in trackside neighborhoods.
  • Rather than being heavier than water, the flaps are buoyant.
  • The surgeon cuts the skin, then lifts up small flaps in the web and at the sides of the fingers or toes.
  • The leaflets are flaps that open and close the valve.
  • Large figures with wrinkled gray skin, unfamiliar flaps, impertinent hairs and heavy limbs.
  • But because of the loss of all hydraulics, the crew could not control the wing flaps to reduce airspeed effectively.
  • The illustration actually wraps all the way around the cover and onto the jacket flaps.
British Dictionary definitions for flaps


verb flaps, flapping, flapped
to move (wings or arms) up and down, esp in or as if in flying, or (of wings or arms) to move in this way
to move or cause to move noisily back and forth or up and down the curtains flapped in the breeze
(intransitive) (informal) to become agitated or flustered; panic
to deal (a person or thing) a blow with a broad flexible object
(transitive) sometimes foll by down. to toss, fling, slam, etc, abruptly or noisily
(transitive) (phonetics) to pronounce (an (r) sound) by allowing the tongue to give a single light tap against the alveolar ridge or uvula
the action, motion, or noise made by flapping with one flap of its wings the bird was off
a piece of material, etc, attached at one edge and usually used to cover an opening, as on a tent, envelope, or pocket
a blow dealt with a flat object; slap
a movable surface fixed to the trailing edge of an aircraft wing that increases lift during takeoff and drag during landing
(surgery) a piece of tissue partially connected to the body, either following an amputation or to be used as a graft
(informal) a state of panic, distress, or agitation
(phonetics) an (r) produced by allowing the tongue to give a single light tap against the alveolar ridge or uvula
Word Origin
C14: probably of imitative origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for flaps
early 14c., flappe "a blow, slap," probably imitative of the sound of striking. Meaning "something that hangs down" is first recorded 1520s. Sense of "motion or noise like a bird's wing" is 1774; meaning "disturbance, noisy tumult" is 1916, British slang. The verb meaning "to swing loosely" is from 1520s. Related: Flapped; flapping.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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flaps in Medicine

flap (flāp)
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.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
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Slang definitions & phrases for flaps


  1. Disturbance; tumult; fuss: Law was one direction open to me with the least amount of flap (1916+ British)
  2. A fight between street gangs; rumble (1950s+ Street gang)
  3. A white person: I wouldn't give a fuck what you or the flap or anybody thought 'bout it (1990s+ Black street gang)

To become flustered; lose one's composure: I've seen him under hostile pressure before. He doesn't flap and he doesn't become a doormat (1920s+)

Copyright (C) 2007 by HarperCollins Publishers.
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