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flip [intransitive, transitive] to turn over into a different position with a sudden quick movement; to make something do this

The plane flipped and crashed.

(figurative) She felt her heart flip (= with excitement, etc.).

flip something (+ adj.) He flipped the lid open and looked inside the case.


I have a water bottle for children. The bottle has a top that covers the rubber straw by pressing it down (picture 1). When we push the top open, the straw flips upward due to the compression and may hit the child's face or eyes.

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is it okay to say "Be careful, it may flip your face" or "Be careful, it may flip into your face" in this case?

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It would be ‘into’. This is because the first sentence — ‘Be careful, it may flip your face’ — implies that the cap of the water bottle might flip the person’s face, as in turn their face over ‘with a sudden quick movement’. I’m not sure what that would look like, but it wouldn’t be good. Their neck would probably break.

So ‘into’ is necessary, because it tells us that the flipping happens to the cap, not the person’s face.

Hope that helps!

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