flap off
C1 neutral intransitive
In simple words
For a bird to fly away by flapping its wings.
Literal meaning: A flap (wing movement) that takes a creature off — fully transparent.
Meanings
1 C1 neutral
For a bird or winged creature to fly away by flapping its wings.
"The heron flapped off across the lake as we approached."
Usage notes
Rarely used in everyday speech. More likely to appear in nature writing or descriptive narrative. Learners should prefer 'fly off' or 'fly away' in most contexts.
Commonly used with
bird wings crow pigeon heron
Forms
Base
flap off
I/you/we/they
3rd person
flaps off
he/she/it
Past simple
flaped off
yesterday
Past participle
flaped off
have + pp
-ing form
flaping off
continuous
Understand "flap off" better
Try:
Real video examples
Video examples are being collected. Check back soon.
Synonyms
Want to master this phrasal verb?
Practice "flap off" on Looplines