dip

[ dip ]

/ dɪp /

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verb (used with object), dipped or (Archaic) dipt

[dipt]; /dɪpt/; dip·ping.

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.

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.

to lower and raise: to dip a flag in salutation.

to immerse (a sheep, hog, etc.) in a solution to destroy germs, parasites, or the like.

to make (a candle) by repeatedly plunging a wick into melted tallow or wax.

Nautical. to lower and rehoist (a yard of a lugsail) when coming about in tacking.

Archaic. to baptize by immersion.

Obsolete. to moisten or wet as if by immersion.

verb (used without object), dipped or (Archaic) dipt

[dipt]; /dɪpt/; dip·ping.

to plunge into water or other liquid and emerge quickly: The boat dipped into the waves.

to put the hand, a dipper, etc., down into a liquid or a container, especially in order to remove something (often followed byin or into): He dipped into the jar for an olive.

to withdraw something, especially in small amounts (usually followed by in or into): to dip into savings.

to sink or drop down: The sun dipped below the horizon.

to incline or slope downward: At that point the road dips into a valley.

to decrease slightly or temporarily: Stock-market prices often dip on Fridays.

to engage slightly in a subject (often followed by in or into): to dip into astronomy.

to read here and there in a book, subject, or author's work (often followed by in or into): to dip into Plato.

South Midland and Southern U.S. to take snuff.

noun

the act of dipping.

that which is taken up by dipping.

a quantity taken up by dipping; the amount that a scoop, ladle, dipper, etc., will hold.

a scoop of ice cream.

Chiefly Northern U.S. a liquid or soft substance into which something is dipped.

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.

a momentary lowering; a sinking down.

a moderate or temporary decrease: a dip in stock-market prices.

a downward extension, inclination, slope, or course.

the amount of such extension.

a hollow or depression in the land.

a brief swim: She took a dip in the ocean and then sat on the beach for an hour.

Geology, Mining. the downward inclination of a vein or stratum with reference to the horizontal.

the angular amount by which the horizon lies below the level of the eye.

Also called angle of dip, inclination, magnetic dip, magnetic inclination. the angle that a freely rotating magnetic needle makes with the plane of the horizon.

a short, downward plunge, as of an airplane.

a candle made by repeatedly dipping a wick into melted tallow or wax.

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.

Slang. a pickpocket.

OTHER WORDS FOR dip

1 duck.

2 scoop.

9 dive.

See synonyms for dip on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about dip

at the dip, Nautical. not fully raised; halfway up the halyard: an answering pennant flown at the dip.Compare close (def. 75b).

Origin of dip

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

synonym study for dip

1. 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 WORDS FROM dip

dip·pa·ble, adjective, nounun·dipped, adjective

Other definitions for dip (2 of 4)

dip²

[ dip ]

/ dɪp /

noun Slang.

dipsomaniac.

Origin of dip

First recorded in 1910–15; by shortening

Other definitions for dip (3 of 4)

dip³

[ dip ]

/ dɪp /

noun Slang.

a naive, foolish, or obnoxious person.

Origin of dip

First recorded in 1925–30; probably back formation from dippy

Other definitions for dip (4 of 4)

DIP

[ dip ]

/ dɪp /

noun Computers.

a packaged chip that connects to a circuit board by means of pins.

Origin of DIP

d(ual)i(n-line)p(ackage)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use dip in a sentence

These brave souls took an icy dip in the ocean to ring in 2015 and raise money for charity.
Diving Into 2015 With Polar Bear Plunge Extremists|James Joiner|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Kirkman does dip into metaphor here, as telephones are a symbol of our connection with one another.
The Walking Dead’s Luke Skywalker: Rick Grimes Is the Perfect Modern-Day Mythical Hero|Regina Lizik|October 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was a slight dip in the demo or a slight dip in the total audience.
‘Outnumbered’: The Making of a Fox News Hit|Lloyd Grove|October 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In fact, 40 percent of adults will dip below the poverty line at some point in their lives.
The U.S. Is Losing a Generation to Poverty|Monica Potts|September 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Meathead spat another long stream of dip juice into the wedding china.
Short Stories from The Daily Beast: Four Hundred Grand|Elliot Ackerman|July 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Thank you for nothing, Reginald; however, I shall certainly take a dip in the lucky-bag at the Castle.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
I'll take a dip myself, just to be companionable, and tomorrow morning we can get back to any size you like.
Davy and The Goblin|Charles E. Carryl
Night, high on her spangled throne, watches the sun dip down behind the Libyan sands.
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood
The dip of the south end of the needle at Goulburn Island was 27 degrees 32 1/2 minutes.
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia] [Volume 2 of 2]|Phillip Parker King
In eating bread with meat, never dip it into the gravy on your plate, and then bite the end off.
The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness|Florence Hartley

British Dictionary definitions for dip (1 of 2)

dip

/ (dɪp) /

verb dips, dipping or dipped

to plunge or be plunged quickly or briefly into a liquid, esp to wet or coat

(intr) to undergo a slight decline, esp temporarilysales dipped in November

(intr) to slope downwardsthe land dips towards the river

(intr) to sink or appear to sink quicklythe sun dipped below the horizon

(tr) to switch (car headlights) from the main to the lower beamUS and Canadian word: dim

(tr)

to immerse (poultry, sheep, etc) briefly in a liquid chemical to rid them of or prevent infestation by insects, etc
to immerse (grain, vegetables, or wood) in a preservative liquid

(tr) to stain or dye by immersing in a liquid

(tr) to baptize (someone) by immersion

(tr) to plate or galvanize (a metal, etc) by immersion in an electrolyte or electrolytic cell

(tr) to scoop up a liquid or something from a liquid in the hands or in a container

to lower or be lowered brieflyshe dipped her knee in a curtsy

(tr) to make (a candle) by plunging the wick into melted wax

(intr) to plunge a container, the hands, etc, into something, esp to obtain or retrieve an objecthe dipped in his pocket for money

(intr; foll by in or into) to dabble (in); play (at)he dipped into black magic

(intr) (of an aircraft) to drop suddenly and then regain height

(intr) (of a rock stratum or mineral vein) to slope downwards from the horizontal

(intr often foll by for) (in children's games) to select (a leader, etc) by reciting any of various rhymes

(tr) slang to pick (a person's) pocket

noun

the act of dipping or state of being dipped

a brief swim in water

any liquid chemical preparation in which poultry, sheep, etc are dipped
any liquid preservative into which objects, esp of wood, are dipped

a preparation of dyeing agents into which fabric is immersed

a depression, esp in a landscape

something taken up by dipping

a container used for dipping; dipper

a momentary sinking down

the angle of slope of rock strata, fault planes, etc, from the horizontal plane

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

a creamy mixture into which pieces of food are dipped before being eaten

surveying the angular distance of the horizon below the plane of observation

a candle made by plunging a wick repeatedly into wax

a momentary loss of altitude when flying

(in gymnastics) a chinning exercise on the parallel bars

a slang word for pickpocket

Word Origin for dip

Old English dyppan; related to Old High German tupfen to wash, German taufen to baptize; see deep

British Dictionary definitions for dip (2 of 2)

dip.

Dip.

abbreviation for

diploma

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

Scientific definitions for dip

dip

[ dĭp ]

The downward inclination of a rock stratum or vein in reference to the plane of the horizon.

See magnetic inclination.

dip

OTHER WORDS FOR dip

Idioms about dip

Origin of dip

synonym study for dip

OTHER WORDS FROM dip

Other definitions for dip (2 of 4)

Origin of dip

Other definitions for dip (3 of 4)

Origin of dip

Other definitions for dip (4 of 4)

Origin of DIP

Words related to dip

How to use dip in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for dip (1 of 2)

Word Origin for dip

British Dictionary definitions for dip (2 of 2)

Dip.

Scientific definitions for dip