I. flap 1 /flæp/ BrE AmE noun
1 . FLAT PIECE OF SOMETHING [countable] a thin flat piece of cloth, paper, skin etc that is fixed by one edge to a surface, which you can lift up easily:
the tent flap
A loose flap of skin covered the wound.
⇨ ↑ cat flap
2 . MOVEMENT [singular] the noisy movement of something such as cloth in the air:
the flap of the sails
3 . EXCITEMENT/WORRY a flap informal a situation in which people feel very excited or worried about something
be in a flap
Rafi’s in a bit of a flap over the wedding plans.
⇨ ↑ unflappable
4 . PART OF AIRCRAFT [countable] a part of the wing of an aircraft that can be raised or lowered to help the aircraft go up or down
II. flap 2 BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle flapped , present participle flapping )
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Origin: Perhaps from the sound ]
1 . [intransitive and transitive] if a bird flaps its wings, it moves them up and down in order to fly
2 . [intransitive and transitive] to move quickly up and down or from side to side, often making a noise:
The flags were flapping in the breeze.
Flap your arms to keep warm.
3 . [intransitive] British English informal to behave in an excited or nervous way:
There’s no need to flap!