belly flop

Also found in: Thesaurus.

belly flop

n. Informal

A dive in which the front of the body hits flat against a surface, especially of water.

bel′ly-flop′ v.

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.

belly flop

1. (Swimming, Water Sports & Surfing) a dive into water in which the body lands horizontally

2. (Aeronautics) another name for belly landing

vb, -flops, -flopping or -flopped

(intr) to perform a belly flop

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

bel′ly flop`

an awkward dive in which the front of the body strikes flat against the water or other surface.

[1890–95]

bel′ly-flop`, v.i. -flopped, -flop•ping.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Noun

belly flop - a dive in which the abdomen bears the main force of impact with the water

belly flopper, belly whop, belly whopper

dive, diving - a headlong plunge into water

Translations

spanciata

belly flop

n (Swimming) → spanciata

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

Mentioned in ?

References in periodicals archive ?

At first glance, it might look like just another belly flop competition.

'Dods' or alive: defying gravity in Norway's 'death diving'

Once home we'd leg it through the narrow back entries, and belly flop from wall to wall, It never entered our little heads that, do you know what?

Your Poem

"It came in and hit the Tarmac and loads of debris came off it, it was a sort of belly flop and it bounced up."

I realised it was going too fast... it hit the runway and then exploded into a fireball WITNESS TELLS OF HORROR; PILOT KILLED AS PLANNE CRASH LANDS

I HAD a right good chuckle at lifelong Conservative Graham Robb's article in The Journal of June 13 re the belly flop of his beloved party.

May not at controls ironic; Letters

A Mahan Air plane made a belly flop landing at Kharg Island Sunday, sliding off the runway before it came to a stop.

Rough landing for jet at Kharg

Belly flop from a cop Police Scotland really need to take a look at their recruitment policy if the man trying to put Leigh Griffiths off at Pittodrie by baring his impressive belly is actually one of their officers, as his clothing suggests.

GOAL POSTS; EXTRA TIME FROM AROUND THE GROUNDS

Special sessions are nearly always a sign of a big emergency or a big legislative belly flop. Emergency can mean anything from a cattle disease (brucellosis, in 1983) to whatever court ruling has been visited upon the state government (school finance, over and over and over).

Analysis: Legislative Overtime? Look to the Federal Courts

NINETY Cadbury workers went to great lengths raising PS17,000 for charity with a sponsored belly flop challenge.

Cadbury staff a charity splash hit; FUND-RAISERS

When he touches down, his legs are so numbed from the cold he doesn't so much land as belly flop, but scientist Chris Van Tulleken is more concerned with the box's well-being than with Andy's.

WE LOVE DOCUMENTARY

Thirty-eight employees raised pounds 8,299 for the Selly Oak based charity in the 'Belly Flop Splash' challenge.

Staff at Kraft Foods in [...]

[ClickPress, Fri Nov 18 2011] Jumeirah's Wild Wadi Waterpark recently hosted a belly flop competition, one of the wildest water spectacles to be held in the emirate.

Jumeirah and Speedo support belly flop competition II at Wild Wadi

[USPRwire, Fri Nov 18 2011] Jumeirah's Wild Wadi Waterpark recently hosted a belly flop competition, one of the wildest water spectacles to be held in the emirate.