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drip
dripverb (used without object)to let drops fall; shed drops.
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DRIP
DRIPabbreviationdividend reinvestment plan: a program under which investors opt to have their dividends automatically applied to the purchase of more shares in the company, increasing their investment while avoiding commission charges.
drip
1 Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
noun
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an act of dripping.
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liquid that drips.
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the sound made by falling drops.
the irritating drip of a faucet.
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Slang. an unattractive, boring, or colorless person.
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(in house painting) the accumulation of solidified drops of paint at the bottom of a painted surface.
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Architecture, Building Trades. any device, as a molding, for shedding rainwater to keep it from running down a wall, falling onto the sill of an opening, etc.
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a pipe for draining off condensed steam from a radiator, heat exchanger, etc.
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Medicine/Medical. intravenous drip.
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Slang. maudlin sentimentality.
abbreviation
verb
noun
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the formation and falling of drops of liquid
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the sound made by falling drops
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architect a projection at the front lower edge of a sill or cornice designed to throw water clear of the wall below
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informal an inane, insipid person
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med
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the usually intravenous drop-by-drop administration of a therapeutic solution, as of salt or sugar
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the solution administered
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the equipment used to administer a solution in this way
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Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of drip1
First recorded before 1000; Middle English dryppe, Old English dryppan; cf. drop
Origin of DRIP2
First recorded in 1975–80
Explanation
When water flows slowly in tiny drops, it drips. The movement of water in this way is called a drip. Have you ever had a leaky faucet? Then you probably know a drip is water leaking out one drop at a time: drip drip drip. A broken faucet has a drip, and you can say the water is dripping. When it rains, it usually starts dripping before it rains harder. When you turn on the shower, it might start as drips. Once the water is flowing strongly and in a stream, it's not dripping anymore.
Vocabulary lists containing drip
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.
His mum, Latabia Woodward, described the Ric Flair Drip artist as a "miracle walking".
From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026
That led to his furniture company, Unform Studio, and its debut collection, Drip, a series of fluoro-colored chairs formed of bent metal sheeting.
From New York Times • Apr. 15, 2024
In the wake of Velveeta’s Drip Lip Cuff, perhaps it’s a bit too far-fetched to conclude that food-and-fashion partnerships have gone too far.
From Salon • Jan. 24, 2024
Drip pricing occurs when shoppers are shown an initial price for an item or service on a website, only to find additional fees are revealed later in the checkout process.
From BBC • Jan. 23, 2024
“If I weren’t lazy, I might go through the work of translating Edamete tass and grow terribly offended when I discover it means ‘the Edema Drip.’
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
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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.