How to Use flap in a Sentence

flap

1 of 2 noun
  • She opened the tent flap and crawled outside.
  • The air stirred above them with the flap flap of tiny wings.
    — Hazlitt, 19 Nov. 2025
  • What to do with the brakes and with the flaps and with the guns.
    — James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Jan. 2024
  • The dress is adorned with chest and waist flap pockets.
    — Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 12 May 2026
  • Shelter doors should have a flap to keep out the cold.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 16 Jan. 2026
  • The button flap keeps your items from spilling out.
    — Nicol Natale, PEOPLE, 15 Nov. 2025
  • It is also known as the flip-flap or snakebite.
    — Tushaar Kuthiala, Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 June 2026
  • Some looked toward the flap of the tent, ready to bolt.
    — Ghada Abdulfattah, The Atlantic, 23 Sep. 2025
  • If the flap doesn’t sit flush when closed, clean away lint and debris.
    — Elizabeth Fogarty, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Sep. 2025
  • His nose was split on both sides, just hanging off his face like a flap.
    — Charles McCrary, The New Republic, 3 Nov. 2023
  • Crossbody flap bags What’s old is new again.
    — Jake Henry Smith, Glamour, 8 Oct. 2025
  • Of course, not every household has a cat flap.
    — Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025
  • The tin sheets of the treehouse roof flap wildly.
    — Diaa Hadid, NPR, 16 May 2026
  • If a child misses and knocks the bottom flap, they get soaked.
    — Parents Editors, Parents, 6 July 2023
  • Simms has a plaid cold weather cap with ear flaps and a wool lining.
    — Christopher Murray May Earn A Commission If You Buy Through Our Referral Links. This Content Was Created By A Team That Works Independently From The Fox Newsroom., FOXNews.com, 16 Sep. 2024
  • The latter triggers a large, flat flap to raise over the rear seats.
    — Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 27 Sep. 2023
  • The frenulum is the thin flap of skin that connects your lip to your gum.
    — Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 24 Feb. 2026
  • The frenulum is the thin flap of skin that connects the lip to the gum.
    — Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 24 Feb. 2026
  • The flock carved the air with steeply banked turns and without a single wing flap.
    — Paul A. Smith, Journal Sentinel, 11 Aug. 2022
  • The flaps should be pointing upward.
    — Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 9 Feb. 2026
  • It is located in the hollow just in front of the flap of the ear.
    — Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Feb. 2024
  • At the shopping mall, Ethan opened the flap of the claw machine.
    — Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 1 Feb. 2024
  • Interior storm flap keeps out the wind and cold.
    — Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 1 Jan. 2026
  • These flaps stay flat courtesy of magnets, so there are no zippers to fuss with.
    — James Lynch, Popular Mechanics, 6 July 2023
  • Side flap pockets adorn the wide-leg shape for an easy take on the utility trend.
    — Paula Lee, Glamour, 19 Dec. 2023
  • Just be mindful of cleanup—more opening and flaps also means more crevices to clean.
    — Moriah Mason, Southern Living, 13 Sep. 2023
  • Gently, fold over the flaps on each end, firmly hugging the sides of the egg roll.
    — Rebecca White, Dallas News, 15 June 2023
  • Though, airplanes can still land safely without flaps at all.
    — Colson Thayer, People.com, 21 Aug. 2025
  • The heat shield and flaps didn’t always fare so well on past Starship test flights.
    — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 23 May 2026
  • Add suspenders, boots, and a hat with some ear flaps for a cozy and autumnal look.
    — Ella Cerón, Parents, 16 Sep. 2025

flap

2 of 2 verb
  • The breeze flapped the sails.
  • The flag flapped in the breeze.
  • The bird's wings were flapping.
  • The vultures flapped wings that were wider than the men were tall.
    — Meera Subramanian, The New Yorker, 31 Jan. 2024
  • Don’t run or flap your arms, as air can fan the flames and cause the fire to grow.
    — oregonlive, 2 Nov. 2021
  • The tents were flapping about in two or three feet of water.
    — Ben East, Outdoor Life, 14 May 2026
  • Her hands quivered and seemed to want to flap-paddle the air.
    — New York Times, 17 May 2022
  • His wife then fixed his collar as his arms flapped around feebly.
    — Christopher Harress | [email protected], al, 14 Feb. 2020
  • Riders flap their arms to go higher.
    — Eve Chen, USA Today, 21 Nov. 2025
  • Tamsin flaps her hand to fan herself.
    — Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2025
  • There’s a vulture in the home, flapping its wings.
    — Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2025
  • Moytoy flapped his lips fast like an engine.
    — Literary Hub, 21 Aug. 2025
  • Pelagic rays flap their fins in a smooth, bird-like motion.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 22 Jan. 2026
  • It is strung with streamers that flap in the wind, shooing birds away.
    — Lela Nargi, Washington Post, 17 Aug. 2022
  • Her extended arms hold a sail-like form as if to flap it in the wind.
    — Sam Whiting, San Francisco Chronicle, 6 Mar. 2023
  • As potatoes go rolling or greeting cards flap in the wind, a trap is laid.
    — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 23 Aug. 2020
  • Their wings, a bit weighted down by water, flapped as the float rolled.
    — Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 1 Jan. 2026
  • Snap the canvas flap onto the canoe and drape it over your gun.
    — Ryan Chelius, Field & Stream, 18 Feb. 2021
  • Gauzy curtains that have blown into a tree are flapping in the wind.
    — Jane Arraf, NPR, 3 Nov. 2025
  • There are giant flapping birds.
    — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 24 Feb. 2026
  • Being able to just flap the arms and fly has been my most recurring dream.
    — Chris Kornelis, New York Times, 12 Dec. 2022
  • Some days, the tarp on the canopy tent would come untied, flap loudly in the wind and wake me.
    — Smithsonian Magazine, 10 July 2023
  • Waves crash against verdant structures jutting from the sea as birds flap by.
    — Roland Li, San Francisco Chronicle, 25 Feb. 2022
  • The T-shirt that had been knotted at her waist flapped loose behind her.
    — Addie Citchens, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2024
  • Fahrenheit and their flight muscles warm up enough to flap away from the cluster.
    — Ryan Fonsecastaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 2 Feb. 2023
  • But once those ears flap, there’s no denying the majesty of an African elephant.
    — Heather Greenwood Davis, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Aug. 2023
  • The font closure zips closed with a snap-front placket and a storm flap to keep out wind, rain, and snow.
    — Mike Richard, Men's Health, 16 Nov. 2022
  • Right now, the large white tents that flap in the stiff winds give a temporary feel to the mission.
    — Washington Post, 29 Jan. 2020
  • Once on the tree limb, the young birds can flap their wings, jump, and then land on a lower branch or back in their nest.
    — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 4 June 2026
  • On the ground, though, the child continued to flap his arms in the air, not brushing the snow at all.
    — Melissa Locker, Time, 9 Jan. 2020

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'flap.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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