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View synonyms for tip

tip

1

[ tip ]

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 [tip, -in],. 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.


verb (used with object)

, tipped, tip·ping.
  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. Bookbinding. to paste the inner margin of (a map, illustration, or other plate) into a signature before gathering.

tip

2

[ tip ]

verb (used with object)

, tipped, tip·ping.
  1. to cause to assume a slanting or sloping position; incline; tilt.
  2. to overturn, upset, or overthrow (often followed by over ).
  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.

verb (used without object)

, tipped, tip·ping.
  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 by over ):

    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.

tip

3

[ tip ]

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

verb (used with object)

, tipped, tip·ping.
  1. to give a gratuity to.

verb (used without object)

, tipped, tip·ping.
  1. to give a gratuity:

    She tipped lavishly.

verb phrase

  1. Informal.
    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

[ tip ]

noun

  1. a light, smart blow; tap.
  2. Baseball. a batted ball that glances off the bat. Compare foul tip.

verb (used with object)

, tipped, tip·ping.
  1. to strike or hit with a light, smart blow; tap.
  2. Baseball. to strike (the ball) with a glancing blow.

tip

1

/ 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

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


verb

  1. to adorn or mark the tip of
  2. to cause to form a tip
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

tip

2

/ 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
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to give a tip to (a person)
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

tip

3

/ tɪp /

verb

  1. to hit or strike lightly
  2. to hit (a ball) indirectly so that it glances off the bat in cricket
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a light blow
  2. a glancing hit in cricket
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

tip

4

/ tɪp /

verb

  1. to tilt or cause to tilt
  2. usually foll byover or up to tilt or cause to tilt, so as to overturn or fall
  3. to dump (rubbish, etc)
  4. tip one's hat
    to take off, raise, or touch one's hat in salutation
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. the act of tipping or the state of being tipped
  2. a dump for refuse, etc
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈtipless, adjective
  • ˈtippable, adjective
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Other Words From

  • tipless adjective
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Word History and Origins

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
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Word History and Origins

Origin of tip1

C15: from Old Norse typpa; related to Middle Low German, Middle Dutch tip

Origin of tip2

C18: perhaps from tip 4

Origin of tip3

C13: perhaps from Low German tippen

Origin of tip4

C14: of uncertain origin; related to top 1, topple
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Idioms and Phrases

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

More idioms and phrases containing tip

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

Earlier this year, security at major airports was tightened because of a tip that al-Asiri had been working on a cell phone bomb.

In total, officers said 600 emails or tip-offs had been received by more than 40 officers working on Operation Fairbank.

Tip: The narrower upper deck in coach is the better choice because its eight-seat rows cannot be extended.

One explanation for why the White House was not interested was so as not to tip off Sunni insurgents in Iraq.

Servers and restaurant owners occasionally shame those who drastically under-tip.

The best pipet is a small glass tube which has been drawn out at one end to a tip with rather small opening.

Tip wore leaky boots all last winter, but when spring came he bought Mrs. Pulsifer a sewing machine.

Mrs. Kaye's expressive eyes, which had dwelt on Isabel with flattering attention, fell to the tip of her cigarette.

The blood is obtained from the finger-tip or the lobe of the ear, as for a blood count; only a very small drop is required.

It should be of rather large caliber, and have an opening in the tip and one or two in the side near the tip.

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Related Words

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.

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