blip
Americannoun
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Also called pip. Electronics.
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a spot of light on a radar screen indicating the position of a plane, submarine, or other object.
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(loosely) any small spot of light on a display screen.
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a brief upturn, as in revenue or income.
The midwinter blip was no cause for optimism among store owners.
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anything small, as in amount or number.
a blip of light; Those opposed were merely a blip in the opinion polls.
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Slang. a nickel; five cents.
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Movies. a mark of synchronization on a sound track.
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a small or brief interruption, as in the continuity of a motion-picture film or the supply of light or electricity.
There were blips in the TV film where the commercials had been edited out.
verb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
noun
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a repetitive sound, such as that produced by an electronic device, by dripping water, etc
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Also called: pip. the spot of light or a sharply peaked pulse on a radar screen indicating the position of an object
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a temporary irregularity recorded in performance of something
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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blipsimple
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blipssimple
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have blippedperfect
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has blippedperfect
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am blippingprogressive
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are blippingprogressive
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is blippingprogressive
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have been blippingperfect progressive
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has been blippingperfect progressive
Past
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blippedsimple
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had blippedperfect
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was blippingprogressive
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were blippingprogressive
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had been blippingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of blip
1890–95, for an earlier sense; sound symbolism, with p for brevity and abrupt end of the impulse; bl- perhaps from blink
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.
See Examples For:
The high volatility during Tuesday’s trading session could wind up being a momentary blip as the hardware-infrastructure buildup to support generative artificial intelligence continues.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026
U.S. corn prices, after a wartime blip, are back near their lowest point since the 2020 pandemic year.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
Yet is it the start of a decline or just a blip in the road for Sale?
From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026
“It’s not a blip, what’s going on—there is a sort of larger spark,” said EPI President Heidi Shierholz.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026
Just a blip of time we could forget about.
From "P.S. I Miss You" by Jen Petro-Roy
Against that backdrop, shares of Wingstop were down 4.8% on Wednesday, after occasional positive-territory blips earlier in the day.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 29, 2026
"For a long time, no one knew quite what to make of these oddball little blips of dimming," Bouma said.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 27, 2026
“Nonetheless, the moves are essentially blips compared to the massive valuation gap that has developed over the past five years.”
From Barron's ● Jan. 9, 2026
Just four sets dropped across the entire tournament, with any perceived blips or wobbles not really worthy of the name.
From BBC ● Jan. 4, 2026
I watched this alternative history spiral out in flashes and blips and bit my lip.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
Ten-year yields had briefly blipped above 5% last week after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the U.S. economy's strength and tight labor markets might warrant tighter financial conditions.
From Reuters ● Oct. 23, 2023
Fifteen-year, fixed rate mortgage rates blipped up to 2.42% from 2.39% last week; it was 2.28% a year ago.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 24, 2021
Jimmy specifically mentions that Vision is dead, and not just blipped.
From Slate ● Jan. 29, 2021
The first data ever transmitted over Arpanet, the precursor of the internet, blipped from a computer at the University of California, Los Angeles to one at the Stanford Research Institute in Palo Alto on Oct.
From Scientific American ● Sep. 28, 2019
We had almost made it back into the neighborhood, when lights flashed and a siren blipped behind us.
From "The Rock and the River" by Kekla Magoon
Take “First Rodeo,” a sleek midtempo track with twangy guitars and blipping synths in which Ballerini extends a metaphor about getting back on the horse further than you’d think possible without breaking it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2024
In “Year of Sky,” blipping synthesizers evolve into Philip Glass-style organ arpeggios as Hval — in her highest, most childlike register — strives to perceive both the minute insect realm and the expanding universe.
From New York Times ● Mar. 10, 2022
Five police cars drove by, sirens blipping, and neighbors and friends drove by as well, holding signs of support.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 18, 2020
United are "monitoring" the Aalesunds No1, presumably on a black and green radar screen making an irregular blipping noise.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 29, 2010
On the other side of the park, a police squad car rolled slowly past, blipping the lights and siren every few moments.
From "The Rock and the River" by Kekla Magoon
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.
