drip
verb (used without object)
to let drops fall; shed drops.
drip
1 American
[drip]
/ drɪp /
verb (used without object)
-
drips,
present (3rd person singular)
-
dripped,
past participle, past
-
dript,
past participle, past (Archaic)
-
dripping
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
drips,
present (3rd person singular)
-
dripped,
past participle, past
-
dript,
past participle, past (Archaic)
-
dripping
present participle
noun
-
drips
plural
-
an act of dripping.
-
liquid that drips.
-
the sound made by falling drops.
the irritating drip of a faucet.
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Slang. an unattractive, boring, or colorless person.
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(in house painting) the accumulation of solidified drops of paint at the bottom of a painted surface.
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Architecture, Building Trades. any device, as a molding, for shedding rainwater to keep it from running down a wall, falling onto the sill of an opening, etc.
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a pipe for draining off condensed steam from a radiator, heat exchanger, etc.
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Medicine/Medical. intravenous drip.
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Slang. maudlin sentimentality.
DRIP
2
American
[dee-ahr-ahy-pee, drip]
/ ˈdiˈɑrˈaɪˈpi, drɪp /
abbreviation
Business, Finance.
drip
British
/ drɪp /
verb
noun
-
the formation and falling of drops of liquid
-
the sound made by falling drops
-
architect a projection at the front lower edge of a sill or cornice designed to throw water clear of the wall below
-
informal an inane, insipid person
-
med
-
the usually intravenous drop-by-drop administration of a therapeutic solution, as of salt or sugar
-
the solution administered
-
the equipment used to administer a solution in this way
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Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
dripsimple
-
dripssimple
-
have drippedperfect
-
have driptperfect
-
has drippedperfect
-
has driptperfect
-
am drippingprogressive
-
are drippingprogressive
-
is drippingprogressive
-
have been drippingperfect progressive
-
has been drippingperfect progressive
Past
-
drippedsimple
-
driptsimple
-
had drippedperfect
-
had driptperfect
-
was drippingprogressive
-
were drippingprogressive
-
had been drippingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of drip1
First recorded before 1000; Middle English dryppe, Old English dryppan; cf. drop
Origin of DRIP2
First recorded in 1975–80
Explanation
When water flows slowly in tiny drops, it drips. The movement of water in this way is called a drip. Have you ever had a leaky faucet? Then you probably know a drip is water leaking out one drop at a time: drip drip drip. A broken faucet has a drip, and you can say the water is dripping. When it rains, it usually starts dripping before it rains harder. When you turn on the shower, it might start as drips. Once the water is flowing strongly and in a stream, it's not dripping anymore.
Vocabulary lists containing drip
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:
Problems can occur, especially in people with poor kidney function or rare inherited conditions, which is why this is not a harmless wellness drip to be sold on the high street.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026
Lee said her family, which uses water-saving drip irrigation, should be allowed to pump more to keep the farm going.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
Mixing in a few cardamom pods with ground coffee in your French press or drip machine is another sugar substitute for your morning brew.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
Prominent tech bull Cathie Wood took the opportunity to buy the drip.
From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026
The drip from the kitchen faucet marks the passing of time.
From "A Step from Heaven" by An Na
The vineyard has a system of piping spread across 1.85 hectares of the vines, which steadily drips water onto the ground around the plants' roots, and is turned on every few days.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
Water that would fill 20 Olympic pools is pumped from the 140-year-old tunnel every day as saltwater from the River Severn constantly drips through its thick walls.
From BBC ● May 22, 2026
Rain drips down the plane windows; I complete the “Ask and Trust” deck, which opens with a Dr. Becky video.
From Slate ● May 10, 2026
Other locations will soon have the drips available.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 1, 2026
Contempt drips off every syllable in my name.
From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein
The clubhouse had a paint-chipped exterior and was even worse inside, where unused kitchen appliances dripped ooze.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
Numbing spray dripped onto the back of my tongue, its bitter flavor making me want to gag.
From Slate ● Apr. 18, 2026
According to government research from 2023, almost half of online businesses it sampled used hidden or dripped fees.
From BBC ● Apr. 15, 2026
That deficit quickly dripped away and Feller was a picture of shock as he realised he had won after his Swiss rival streaked through the finish line in second.
From Barron's ● Jan. 25, 2026
A lush garden dripped from the ceiling, eclipsing the previous illusion.
From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi
Back to the town the swaying torches reeked, Within the green-striped tent the lights expired, The dew dript from the canvas where it leaked.
From King Cole by John Masefield
The night air was raw with the chill of thawing snow, and carried no sound but the soft tinkle of the sap as it dript swiftly into the birchen cups.
From The House in the Water A Book of Animal Stories by Charles Livingston Bull
For David Harbour, it was the messages pouring in from friends — not the usual “great job!” an actor receives when a program is airing, but long blocks of text, paragraphs dripping with emotion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
“Awww, Jimmy, Jimmy, I thought you wanted to be a pro coach,” Davis, voice dripping with disappointment, told him in 2004 when he learned Harbaugh was leaving his Raiders gig.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
On Sunday, U.S. striker Folarin Balogun had his red-card suspension revoked through a process that is shrouded in mystery but already dripping with controversy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
"Subconsciously, I didn't want to have natto just dripping from my beard," he said, laughing.
From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026
Molasses coated Carmen’s face, an itching, burning, dripping mask.
From "I Survived the Great Molasses Flood, 1919" by Lauren Tarshis
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.
