Definition of "flip-flop" []

• The movement or sound of repeated flapping. (noun)
• Informal A reversal, as of a stand or position: a foreign policy flip-flop. (noun)
• A backless, often foam rubber sandal held to the foot at the big toe by means of a thong. (noun)
• A backward somersault or handspring. (noun)
• Electronics An electronic circuit or mechanical device capable of assuming either of two stable states, especially a computer circuit used to store a single bit of information. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The term flip-flop, meaning a political reversal, has been a fixture in popular American parlance at least since the 1880s."
• "The latest flip-flop is the restoration of military tribunals."
• "I gestured toward the brood of flip-flop wearing Samoans who were loading the washer with the efficiency of a surgical strike team."