flip out

verb

flipped out; flipping out; flips out

intransitive verb

informal
: to lose one's reason or composure
She's going to flip out when she sees the great present I got her!
"We were flipping out [from worry] and crying," Yvonne White said. "It was just getting worse and worse."Sydney Page
especially : to become very angry
… he flipped out on the server when they messed up his wife's order. Ajani Bazile

transitive verb

informal
: to cause (someone) to lose reason or composure
But it wasn't until he saw a homemade e-bike in the back of a neighbor's pickup truck about five years ago that he truly fell in love. "It flipped me out. It looked like a tiny motorcycle," [Andrew] Willner said.Lissa Harris
"I fell asleep with my makeup on, and when I woke up, my eyes were swollen shut from an allergic reaction to the silver paint. I couldn't see a thing, and it flipped me out."Ace Frehley

Examples of flip out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
At the end, the song flips out into bursts of distorted glitch-core noise. Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 25 Oct. 2024 The display flips out and turns round for great versatility and is especially useful for taking selfies. David Phelan, Forbes, 14 Oct. 2024 No one should flip out over J.K. Dobbins’ start (Brian Westerholt / Associated Press) After getting caught from behind on a 61-yard run in the Chargers’ season-opening win over the Raiders, Dobbins promised to work on his fitness to make sure that didn’t happen again. Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2024 You’re supposed to flip out the ear tip and then gently tug it off. Chris Welch, The Verge, 17 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for flip out 

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1959, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of flip out was circa 1959

Dictionary Entries Near flip out

Cite this Entry

“Flip out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flip%20out. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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