[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/flipping.html)

[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [The school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/) / flipping

[← F](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/F/)

# flipping

«flipping» in Mova's school dictionary: **a soft stand-in for a stronger swear word, to show…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 1 sentence of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

adjective (flipping — mild swearing, UK, Ireland, Australia); adverb (flipping); verb form (flip, flips, flipped, flipping)

### meaning for a pupil

1) (mild swearing, UK) a soft stand-in for a stronger swear word, to show annoyance or for emphasis: «It's flipping freezing». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/flipping/#m1)

2) (literal) turning over quickly: «flipping pancakes», «flipping a coin». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/flipping/#m2)

3) (informal) becoming suddenly angry or upset: «flipping out». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/flipping/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

A very mild, family-friendly swear word in Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand; parents and teachers sometimes say it. The literal sense is common in cooking, maths (flipping a coin for probability) and shapes (flipping = reflecting).

### examples

- It's flipping freezing out here! [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/flipping/#x1)
- Where's my flipping homework gone? [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/flipping/#x2)
- Dad was flipping pancakes in the kitchen. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/flipping/#x3)
- We flipped a coin twenty times and got heads eleven times. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/flipping/#x4)
- Flipping heck, that was close! [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/flipping/#x5)
- When she saw the mess, Mum started flipping out. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/flipping/#x6)
- You're flipping brilliant at this game. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/flipping/#x7)
- In maths, flipping a shape over a line is called a reflection. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/flipping/#x8)

### note

Trap: as swearing it is mild and usually OK at home, but not in written work. In maths, flipping a coin gives heads or tails, each with chance one half; flipping a shape means reflecting it. Plain word in the swearing sense: very, really, annoying.

### In the corpora

- [Flipping a coin is a fair way to decide when both choices are equally good.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/54-solving-disagreements-calmly/17/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «flipping» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/flipping/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.