dip into
Britishverb
-
to draw (upon)
he dipped into his savings
-
to read (passages) at random or cursorily in (a book, newspaper, etc)
-
Investigate superficially, as in He began to dip into Chaucer , or She's just dipping into psychology . This expression alludes to plunging briefly into a liquid. [Late 1600s]
-
Withdraw something in small amounts, usually money, as in I'll have to dip into my savings . This usage employs dip into in the sense of plunging one's hand or a ladle into a pot, water, or the like for the purpose of taking something out. [Early 1800s]
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.
Bown and Keynes dip into the world of “preppers” to make a pointed observation: knowing when a genuine crisis is coming, and when to build or draw down strategic reserves, is fiendishly hard for governments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
“The intensity of those games, the environments that you have to dip into and get results, you find out a lot about the players and find out a lot about the team,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026
That would make Brits more reluctant to dip into their pockets to buy stocks, even though there’s plenty of dry powder—the household savings ratio stood at 9.9% in the fourth quarter of 2025.
From Barron's ● May 29, 2026
Is now a good time to dip into our savings?
From MarketWatch ● May 22, 2026
When the rains stopped and Uncle decided it was time to head back—he did not want to dip into their larder by having lunch with them, as Miss Whitlaw urged— we made our good-byes.
From "Dragonwings" by Laurence Yep
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.
