dip
1 Americannoun
noun
verb (used with object)
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to plunge (something, as a cloth or sponge) temporarily into a liquid, so as to moisten it, dye it, or cause it to take up some of the liquid.
He dipped the brush into the paint bucket.
- Synonyms:
- duck
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to raise or take up by a bailing, scooping, or ladling action.
to dip water out of a boat; to dip ice cream from a container.
- Synonyms:
- scoop
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to lower and raise.
to dip a flag in salutation.
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to immerse (a sheep, hog, etc.) in a solution to destroy germs, parasites, or the like.
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to make (a candle) by repeatedly plunging a wick into melted tallow or wax.
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Nautical. to lower and rehoist (a yard of a lugsail) when coming about in tacking.
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Archaic. to baptize by immersion.
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Obsolete. to moisten or wet as if by immersion.
verb (used without object)
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to plunge into water or other liquid and emerge quickly.
The boat dipped into the waves.
- Synonyms:
- dive
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to put the hand, a dipper, etc., down into a liquid or a container, especially in order to remove something (often followed by in orinto ).
He dipped into the jar for an olive.
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to withdraw something, especially in small amounts (usually followed by in orinto ).
to dip into savings.
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to sink or drop down.
The sun dipped below the horizon.
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to incline or slope downward.
At that point the road dips into a valley.
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to decrease slightly or temporarily.
Stock-market prices often dip on Fridays.
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to engage slightly in a subject (often followed by in orinto ).
to dip into astronomy.
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to read here and there in a book, subject, or author's work (often followed by in orinto ).
to dip into Plato.
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South Midland and Southern U.S. to take snuff.
noun
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the act of dipping.
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that which is taken up by dipping.
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a quantity taken up by dipping; the amount that a scoop, ladle, dipper, etc., will hold.
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a scoop of ice cream.
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Chiefly Northern U.S. a liquid or soft substance into which something is dipped.
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a creamy mixture of savory foods for scooping with potato chips, crackers, and the like, often served as an hors d'oeuvre, especially with cocktails.
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a momentary lowering; a sinking down.
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a moderate or temporary decrease.
a dip in stock-market prices.
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a downward extension, inclination, slope, or course.
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the amount of such extension.
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a hollow or depression in the land.
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a brief swim.
She took a dip in the ocean and then sat on the beach for an hour.
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Geology, Mining. the downward inclination of a vein or stratum with reference to the horizontal.
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the angular amount by which the horizon lies below the level of the eye.
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Also called magnetic inclination. Also called magnetic dip;. Also called inclination. Also called angle of dip,. the angle that a freely rotating magnetic needle makes with the plane of the horizon.
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a short, downward plunge, as of an airplane.
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a candle made by repeatedly dipping a wick into melted tallow or wax.
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Gymnastics. an exercise on the parallel bars in which the elbows are bent until the chin is on a level with the bars, and then the body is elevated by straightening the arms.
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Slang. a pickpocket.
idioms
noun
abbreviation
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012verb
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to plunge or be plunged quickly or briefly into a liquid, esp to wet or coat
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(intr) to undergo a slight decline, esp temporarily
sales dipped in November
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(intr) to slope downwards
the land dips towards the river
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(intr) to sink or appear to sink quickly
the sun dipped below the horizon
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US and Canadian word: dim. (tr) to switch (car headlights) from the main to the lower beam
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(tr)
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to immerse (poultry, sheep, etc) briefly in a liquid chemical to rid them of or prevent infestation by insects, etc
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to immerse (grain, vegetables, or wood) in a preservative liquid
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(tr) to stain or dye by immersing in a liquid
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(tr) to baptize (someone) by immersion
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(tr) to plate or galvanize (a metal, etc) by immersion in an electrolyte or electrolytic cell
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(tr) to scoop up a liquid or something from a liquid in the hands or in a container
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to lower or be lowered briefly
she dipped her knee in a curtsy
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(tr) to make (a candle) by plunging the wick into melted wax
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(intr) to plunge a container, the hands, etc, into something, esp to obtain or retrieve an object
he dipped in his pocket for money
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(intr; foll by in or into) to dabble (in); play (at)
he dipped into black magic
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(intr) (of an aircraft) to drop suddenly and then regain height
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(intr) (of a rock stratum or mineral vein) to slope downwards from the horizontal
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(in children's games) to select (a leader, etc) by reciting any of various rhymes
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slang (tr) to pick (a person's) pocket
noun
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the act of dipping or state of being dipped
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a brief swim in water
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any liquid chemical preparation in which poultry, sheep, etc are dipped
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any liquid preservative into which objects, esp of wood, are dipped
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a preparation of dyeing agents into which fabric is immersed
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a depression, esp in a landscape
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something taken up by dipping
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a container used for dipping; dipper
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a momentary sinking down
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the angle of slope of rock strata, fault planes, etc, from the horizontal plane
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Also called: angle of dip. magnetic dip. inclination. the angle between the direction of the earth's magnetic field and the plane of the horizon; the angle that a magnetic needle free to swing in a vertical plane makes with the horizontal
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a creamy mixture into which pieces of food are dipped before being eaten
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surveying the angular distance of the horizon below the plane of observation
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a candle made by plunging a wick repeatedly into wax
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a momentary loss of altitude when flying
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(in gymnastics) a chinning exercise on the parallel bars
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a slang word for pickpocket
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The downward inclination of a rock stratum or vein in reference to the plane of the horizon.
Usage
What is a basic definition of dip? Dip means to plunge something quickly in a liquid or to sink or go downward. A dip is a creamy mixture that chips or other foods are scooped into. Dip has many other senses as a verb and a noun.When something is dipped into a liquid, it is usually only submerged for a short time to soak up some liquid.
- Real-life examples: Candy or scoops of ice cream may be dipped in chocolate or caramel. A paint brush is dipped in paint. A thermometer might be dipped in a pool to measure temperature.
- Used in a sentence: I dipped my foot in the pool to see how cold it was.
- Real-life examples: Temperatures dip when it becomes cold. Prices tend to dip during the holidays. A company’s stock value may dip.
- Used in a sentence: Oil prices dipped after the announcement of a new line of electric cars.
- Used in a sentence: I know how to make a pretty good spinach dip.
Related Words
Dip, immerse, plunge refer to putting something into liquid. To dip is to put down into a liquid quickly or partially and lift out again: to dip a finger into water to test the temperature. Immerse denotes a lowering into a liquid until covered by it: to immerse meat in salt water. Plunge adds a suggestion of force or suddenness to the action of dipping: to plunge a chicken into boiling water before stripping off the feathers.
Other Word Forms
- dippable adjective
- undipped adjective
Etymology
Origin of dip1
First recorded in 1925–30; probably back formation from dippy
Origin of dip1
First recorded in 1910–15; by shortening
Origin of dip1
First recorded before 1000; Middle English verb dippen, duppen “to dip, moisten, plunge,” Old English dyppan “to baptize”; akin to German taufen “to baptize,” and to deep
Origin of DIP1
d(ual) i(n-line) p(ackage)
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The price had fallen, which, according to the tipster, was a great chance to buy the dip.
The year after Diana's death, it dipped further, with just 63.5% of people saying it was important for Britain to have a monarchy, according to the British Attitudes Survey.
From BBC
The high-profile AI investor, who has been dismissive of bubble talk, has been busy topping up tech holdings and buying the crypto dip, through various funds.
From Barron's
The high-profile AI investor, who has been dismissive of bubble talk, has been busy topping up tech holdings and buying the crypto dip, through various funds.
From Barron's
The movie purports to dip into the deep well of Shakespearean magnificence but emerges only with a ladle full of greasy schmaltz.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
