tip

¹ American  

[tip] / tɪp /

noun

1. 

   a slender or pointed end or extremity, especially of anything long or tapered.

   the tips of the fingers.

2. the top, summit, or apex.

   the tip of the mountain.

3. a small piece or part, as of metal or leather, forming or covering the extremity of something.

   a cane with a rubber tip.

4. Also called tip-in.  Also called tip-on.  an insert, as an illustration, map, or errata slip, pasted to a page of a book, magazine, etc., usually along the binding margin.

5. a small, delicate tool made of fine hair cemented between two cards, for applying gold leaf.

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verb (used with object)

tipped, tipping

1. to furnish with a tip.

2. to serve as or form the tip of.

3. to mark or adorn the tip of.

4. to remove the tip or stem of (berries or certain fruits or vegetables).

5. to frost the ends of (hair strands).

   I'm having my hair cut and tipped tomorrow.

verb phrase

1. tip in to paste the inner margin of (a map, illustration, or other plate) into a signature before gathering.

tip ² American  

[tip] / tɪp /

verb (used with object)

tipped, tipping

1. to cause to assume a slanting or sloping position; incline; tilt.

2. to overturn, upset, or overthrow (often followed byover ).

3. to remove or lift (one's hat or cap) in salutation.

4. British. to empty out (contents) from a container by tilting; dump: Tip the batter into a rectangular baking dish.

   The dustmen tipped the rubbish on the municipal dump.

   Tip the batter into a rectangular baking dish.

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verb (used without object)

tipped, tipping

1. to assume a slanting or sloping position; incline.

2. to tilt up at one end and down at the other; slant.

3. to be overturned or upset.

   The car tipped into the ditch.

4. to tumble or topple (usually followed byover ).

   The lamp on the table tipped over.

noun

1. the act of tipping.

2. the state of being tipped.

3. British.

   1. a dump for refuse, as that from a mine.

   2. Informal. an untidy place, especially a room.

      They must have packed and left in a rush, because the place is an absolute tip.

idioms

1. tip one's hand, to reveal one's plans, true feelings, etc., often unintentionally.

tip ³ American  

[tip] / tɪp /

noun

1. a small present of money given directly to someone for performing a service or menial task; gratuity.

   He gave the waiter a dollar as a tip.

2. a piece of private or secret information, as for use in betting, speculating, or writing a news story.

   a tip from a bookie.

3. a useful hint or idea; a basic, practical fact.

   tips on painting.

   Synonyms:

   pointer, suggestion

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verb (used with object)

tipped, tipping

1. to give a gratuity to.

verb (used without object)

tipped, tipping

1. to give a gratuity.

   She tipped lavishly.

verb phrase

1. tip off

   1. to supply with private or secret information; inform.

   2. to warn of impending danger or trouble; caution beforehand.

      The moonshiners had been tipped off that they were about to be raided.

tip ⁴ American  

[tip] / tɪp /

noun

1. a light, smart blow; tap.

2. Baseball. a batted ball that glances off the bat.

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verb (used with object)

tipped, tipping

1. to strike or hit with a light, smart blow; tap.

2. Baseball. to strike (the ball) with a glancing blow.

tip ¹ British  

/ tɪp /

verb

1. to tilt or cause to tilt

2. to tilt or cause to tilt, so as to overturn or fall

3. to dump (rubbish, etc)

4. to take off, raise, or touch one's hat in salutation

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noun

1. the act of tipping or the state of being tipped

2. a dump for refuse, etc

tip ² British  

/ tɪp /

noun

1. the extreme end of something, esp a narrow or pointed end

2. the top or summit

3. a small piece forming an extremity or end

   a metal tip on a cane

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verb

1. to adorn or mark the tip of

2. to cause to form a tip

tip ³ British  

/ tɪp /

noun

1. a payment given for services in excess of the standard charge; gratuity

2. a helpful hint, warning, or other piece of information

3. a piece of inside information, esp in betting or investing

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verb

1. to give a tip to (a person)

tip ⁴ British  

/ tɪp /

verb

1. to hit or strike lightly

2. to hit (a ball) indirectly so that it glances off the bat in cricket

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noun

1. a light blow

2. a glancing hit in cricket

tip More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing tip

• from head (tip) to toe
• on the tip of one's tongue

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Other Word Forms

• tipless
  adjective
• tippable
  adjective
• untippable
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of tip¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English; compare Dutch, Low German, Danish tip, Swedish tipp, German zipf- in Zipfel “tip”

Origin of tip²

First recorded in 1300–50; earlier tipen, Middle English typen “to upset, overturn”

Origin of tip³

First recorded in 1600–10; perhaps special use of tip ⁴

Origin of tip⁴

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English (noun); perhaps from Low German; compare German tippen “to tap,” from Low German

Explanation

The pointed or tapered end of something is its tip. There's the tip of your dog's wagging tail, the tips of your fingers, or the tip of the continent of South America. When you can almost remember someone's name, you might say it's on the tip of your tongue, and when something's just "the tip of the iceberg," it's only one small bit of a much larger problem. Other meanings of tip include "tilt," like when you tip your hat as you stroll down the street, and "gratuity," or the extra money you give a waiter or barber in exchange for good service.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tip tipped tipping

These two changes were enough to tip the balance.

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026

Does the slow-motion version ever tip into outright panic?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

Along the Beagle Channel, an icy stretch of water at the southern tip of the Americas, a concrete slab rises from hills covered in low, brownish scrub.

From Barron's ● Sep. 12, 2026

You could have customers showing up ordering a feast of fillet steaks because they got an inside tip on your generosity.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026

But it must be a trick of the light, because as I careen across the gravel, I see the tip of the Sandy June’s sign.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

The 30-year-old told AFP in Venice she disliked fame and celebrity, but Gyllenhaal tipped her for even greater success.

From Barron's ● Sep. 12, 2026

Designed by Adrian, the big cat has shoelace-style stitching running up his belly and detachable slippers tipped with sharp claws.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

What tipped this into a national movement, at the end of May this year, was a video clip taken just outside Zvernec village.

From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026

At PMQs, Badenoch also raised comments from economist and cross-bench peer Lord Jim O'Neill, who had been tipped to become Burnham's chief economic adviser, but who ruled out joining Burnham's government.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

Erato tipped the potion into a pot and held the pot sideways over the fire, so the liquid flowed to its side, close to the lip but not overflowing.

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell

"The Himalayas are approaching a tipping point, with millions of lives and livelihoods hanging in the balance," said Arushi Chopra, Systemiq's senior director and lead author.

From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026

Smith is one of many influencers working overtime to distance themselves from the tradwife brand amid a confluence of cultural tipping points.

From Salon ● Sep. 12, 2026

Fortunately Ms. Anderson avoids the pitfall of tipping into gooey sentimentality while allowing for the possibility of spiritual rebirth.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

The tipping point, he says, is getting closer.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026

“Some things just don’t change,” Ruth is saying now, tipping forward to make sure we turn our attention to her.

From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish

Related Words

• bend
• dump
• lean
• spill
• tilt
• topple
• upset