dipstick
Americannoun
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dipsticks
plural
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a rod for measuring the depth of a liquid; especially, a thin metal rod used to measure the oil level in the crankcase of an automotive engine.
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Slang. fool; jerk.
noun
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a graduated rod or strip dipped into a container to indicate the fluid level
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slang a fool
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of dipstick
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 firm could have done with a "dipstick test" with loyal customers to see whether such a design would resonate with them, Wong said.
From BBC ● May 30, 2026
Under the hood of the Sport Hybrid you will find an assortment of yellow filler caps, dipstick handles and boxes, color-coded to indicate regular service items.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026
The company says heat and pressure can build up in the transmission, expelling fluid from the dipstick tube.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 17, 2022
Silva jumped right into the preflight inspection, calculating the fuel levels with a dipstick.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 2, 2022
How many chances do you get to show that the guy who runs the entire city school system is an even bigger dipstick than you are?
From "Ungifted" by Gordon Korman
What if these two dipsticks had been armed?
From Slate ● Jun. 21, 2022
If we try to repair our microwaves or printers, we’ll quickly be discouraged by their complexity; many cars produced today lack even dipsticks to check their oil levels.
From The New Yorker ● Apr. 30, 2019
Over the years, Mr. Scanga’s favorite exhibits at Collector’s Night have included 50 dipsticks from old automobiles and 30 designs of canned mackerel.
From New York Times ● Jul. 16, 2014
Rupert Murdoch's Sun newspaper has ridiculed Cameron and Osborne as "dipsticks" and mocked their privileged backgrounds.
From Reuters ● May 28, 2012
While Danny pumps gas and checks dipsticks, the driver quietly approaches two oil riggers on their way to Idaho who have come to rent a trailer hitch.
From Time Magazine Archive
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.
