flap (fl?p)n.1. a. A projecting or hanging piece usually attached to something on one side and often intended to protect or cover: the flap of an envelope.b. Either of the folded ends of a book jacket that fit inside the front and back covers.c. A variable control surface on the trailing edge of an aircraft wing, used primarily to increase lift or drag.d. Medicine A piece of tissue that has been partially detached and used in surgical grafting to fill an adjacent defect or cover the cut end of a bone after amputation.2. a. The act of waving or fluttering: the flap of the flag in the wind.b. The sound produced by this motion.3. Linguistics A sound articulated by a single, quick touch of the tongue against the teeth or alveolar ridge, as (t) in water. Also called tap1.4. Informal A commotion or disturbance: a flap in Congress over the defense budget.5. Archaic A blow given with something flat; a slap.v. flapped, flap·ping, flaps v.tr.1. To move (wings or arms, for example) up and down.2. To cause to move or sway with a fluttering or waving motion: The wind is flapping the tent fly.3. To cause to strike against something: flapped the paper on the table.v.intr.1. a. To move wings or the arms up and down.b. To fly by beating the air with the wings: The crow flapped away.2. To move or sway while fixed at one edge or corner; flutter: banners flapping in the breeze.[Middle English flappe, slap.]American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.flap (flæp) vb, flaps, flapping or flapped1. to move (wings or arms) up and down, esp in or as if in flying, or (of wings or arms) to move in this way2. to move or cause to move noisily back and forth or up and down: the curtains flapped in the breeze. 3. (intr) informal to become agitated or flustered; panic4. to deal (a person or thing) a blow with a broad flexible object5. (sometimes foll by: down) to toss, fling, slam, etc, abruptly or noisily6. (Phonetics & Phonology) (tr) phonetics to pronounce (an (r) sound) by allowing the tongue to give a single light tap against the alveolar ridge or uvulan7. the action, motion, or noise made by flapping: with one flap of its wings the bird was off. 8. a piece of material, etc, attached at one edge and usually used to cover an opening, as on a tent, envelope, or pocket9. a blow dealt with a flat object; slap10. (Aeronautics) a movable surface fixed to the trailing edge of an aircraft wing that increases lift during takeoff and drag during landing11. (Surgery) surgery a piece of tissue partially connected to the body, either following an amputation or to be used as a graft12. informal a state of panic, distress, or agitation13. (Phonetics & Phonology) phonetics an (r) produced by allowing the tongue to give a single light tap against the alveolar ridge or uvula[C14: probably of imitative origin]Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014flap (flæp) v. flapped, flap?ping, n. v.i. 1. to swing or sway back and forth loosely, esp. with noise. 2. to move up and down, as wings or arms. 3. to strike a blow with something broad and flexible. 4. Slang. to talk in a foolish manner; babble. v.t. 5. to move (wings, arms, etc.) up and down. 6. to cause to swing or sway loosely, esp. with noise. 7. to strike with something broad and flat. 8. to toss, fold, shut, etc., smartly, roughly, or noisily. 9. to pronounce (a sound) with a rapid flip of the tongue tip against the upper teeth or alveolar ridge. n. 10. something flat and broad that is attached at one side only and hangs loosely or covers an opening. 11. either of the two segments of a book jacket folding under the book’s front and back covers. 12. one leaf of a folding door, shutter, or the like. 13. a flapping motion. 14. the noise produced by something that flaps. 15. Informal. a. a state of nervous excitement. b. an emergency situation. c. scandal; trouble. 16. a movable surface used for increasing the lift or drag of an airplane. 17. 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 a common American pronunciation of water. 18. a. Also called flap? hinge`. a hinge having a strap or plate for screwing to the face of a door, shutter, or the like. b. one leaf of a hinge. [1275?1325; Middle English flappe a blow] Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.Flap of nuns?Lipton, 1970.Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.flapPast participle: flappedGerund: flappingImperativePresentPreteritePresent ContinuousPresent PerfectPast ContinuousPast PerfectFutureFuture PerfectFuture ContinuousPresent Perfect ContinuousFuture Perfect ContinuousPast Perfect ContinuousConditionalPast ConditionalImperativeflapflapPresentI flapyou flaphe/she/it flapswe flapyou flapthey flapPreteriteI flappedyou flappedhe/she/it flappedwe flappedyou flappedthey flappedPresent ContinuousI am flappingyou are flappinghe/she/it is flappingwe are flappingyou are flappingthey are flappingPresent PerfectI have flappedyou have flappedhe/she/it has flappedwe have flappedyou have flappedthey have flappedPast ContinuousI was flappingyou were flappinghe/she/it was flappingwe were flappingyou were flappingthey were flappingPast PerfectI had flappedyou had flappedhe/she/it had flappedwe had flappedyou had flappedthey had flappedFutureI will flapyou will flaphe/she/it will flapwe will flapyou will flapthey will flapFuture PerfectI will have flappedyou will have flappedhe/she/it will have flappedwe will have flappedyou will have flappedthey will have flappedFuture ContinuousI will be flappingyou will be flappinghe/she/it will be flappingwe will be flappingyou will be flappingthey will be flappingPresent Perfect ContinuousI have been flappingyou have been flappinghe/she/it has been flappingwe have been flappingyou have been flappingthey have been flappingFuture Perfect ContinuousI will have been flappingyou will have been flappinghe/she/it will have been flappingwe will have been flappingyou will have been flappingthey will have been flappingPast Perfect ContinuousI had been flappingyou had been flappinghe/she/it had been flappingwe had been flappingyou had been flappingthey had been flappingConditionalI would flapyou would flaphe/she/it would flapwe would flapyou would flapthey would flapPast ConditionalI would have flappedyou would have flappedhe/she/it would have flappedwe would have flappedyou would have flappedthey would have flappedCollins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011