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• pip
  pip

  noun

  one of the spots on dice, playing cards, or dominoes.
• Pip
  Pip

  noun

  a male given name, form of Philip.

pip

¹ American  

[pip] / pɪp /

noun

1. one of the spots on dice, playing cards, or dominoes.

   You need to match the two pips on this domino with two pips on one of your dominoes.

2. each of the small segments into which the surface of a pineapple is divided.

   Cut off the top of the pineapple, slicing through the first row of pips.

3. Informal. metal insigne of rank on the shoulders of commissioned officers.

   the museum's collection of German pips and buttons.

4. Horticulture.

   1. an individual rootstock of a plant, especially of the lily of the valley.

      This low-growing perennial forms dense clumps from its slender pips.

   2. a portion of the rootstock or root of several other plants.

      The peony's pips are those budlike growths at the top of the tuber.

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pip ² American  

[pip] / pɪp /

noun

1. Veterinary Pathology: Older Use. a contagious disease of birds, especially poultry, characterized by the secretion of a thick mucus in the mouth and throat.

   The last thing they wanted to find in the henhouse was a chicken with pip.

2. Facetious. Usually the pip any minor or unspecified ailment in a person.

   Oh, no, not that annoying neighbor—he gives me the pip.

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pip ³ American  

[pip] / pɪp /

noun

1. a small seed, especially of a fleshy fruit, as an apple or orange.

   Does the juicer remove the pips or just grind them up?

2. Also called pipperoo.  Informal. someone or something wonderful.

   Last night's party was a pip.

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pip ⁴ American  

[pip] / pɪp /

verb (used without object)

pipped, pipping

1. to peep or chirp.

   Listen to those chicks pip!

2. (of a hatching bird) to break out from the shell.

   How long before the eaglets start pipping?

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verb (used with object)

pipped, pipping

1. to crack or chip a hole through (the shell), as a hatching bird.

   All but one of the new brood has pipped through their shells.

pip ⁵ American  

[pip] / pɪp /

noun

Electronics.

1. blip.

   observing the radar screen for unusual pips.

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pip ⁶ American  

[pip] / pɪp /

verb (used with object)

British Slang.

pipped, pipping

1. to blackball.

   Are you telling me I've been pipped from the entire music industry?

2. to defeat (an opponent).

   No one expected our team to pip those hotshots from Birmingham.

3. to shoot, especially to wound or kill by a gunshot.

   Get that pistol out of here before someone gets pipped.

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Pip ⁷ American  

[pip] / pɪp /

noun

1. a male given name, form of Philip.

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pip ¹ British  

/ pɪp /

noun

1. a short high-pitched sound, a sequence of which can act as a time signal, esp on radio

2. a radar blip

3. 1. a spot or single device, such as a spade, diamond, heart, or club on a playing card

   2. any of the spots on dice or dominoes

4. Also called: star.  informal the emblem worn on the shoulder by junior officers in the British Army, indicating their rank

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verb

1. 1. (intr) to chirp; peep

   2. to pierce (the shell of its egg) while hatching

2. (intr) to make a short high-pitched sound

pip ² British  

/ pɪp /

noun

1. a contagious disease of poultry characterized by the secretion of thick mucus in the mouth and throat

2. facetious a minor human ailment

3. slang a bad temper or depression (esp in the phrase give ( someone ) the pip )

4. informal to sulk

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verb

1. slang to cause to be annoyed or depressed

pip ³ British  

/ pɪp /

noun

1. the seed of a fleshy fruit, such as an apple or pear

2. any of the segments marking the surface of a pineapple

3. a rootstock or flower of the lily of the valley or certain other plants

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pip ⁴ British  

/ pɪp /

verb

1. to wound or kill, esp with a gun

2. to defeat (a person), esp when his success seems certain (often in the phrase pip at the post )

3. to blackball or ostracize

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Etymology

Origin of pip¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; earlier peep; origin uncertain

Origin of pip²

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English pippe, from Middle Dutch, from unattested Vulgar Latin pipita, for Latin pītuīta “phlegm, pip”

Origin of pip³

First recorded in 1590–1600; 1910–15 pip ³ for def. 2; short for pippin

Origin of pip⁴

First recorded in 1650–60; variant of peep ²

Origin of pip⁵

First recorded in 1940–45; imitative

Origin of pip⁶

First recorded in 1875–80; perhaps special use of pip ¹, in metaphorical sense of a small ball

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pip Pip pipped pipping

They succeeded occasionally—Liverpool managed to pip him to a couple of championships—but Guardiola’s City took the title in six of the past eight years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026

Observers spotted what appeared to be a pip — or breach in the eggshell — on Friday.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 5, 2026

They beat the Tennessee Titans 41-7 to pip the Houston Texans to the AFC South top spot.

From BBC ● Jan. 8, 2026

His seventh-place finish, with Webber in eighth, allowed Vettel to pip both of them.

From BBC ● Dec. 1, 2025

His foreman was a man defeated by his own pessimistic views, and his news was mostly a series of misfortunes: the strawberries froze, the chickens caught the pip, the grapes rotted.

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende

Pip seeks to offset the extra costs that can occur for those living with certain long-term health conditions.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

Spending on Pip stood at £16.3bn in 2019-20, when adjusted for inflation to today's prices, and had increased to £27.3bn by 2024-25, government figures showed.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

Pip is designed to support people with the extra costs of being disabled or living with long-term physical or mental health conditions, and eligibility is not affected by a person's income or savings.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

Those who apply for Pip but are not awarded it can ask the department to look again at the decision.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

Joe greeted me as usual with “Halloa, Pip, old chap!” and the moment he said that, the stranger turned his head and looked at me.

From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens

Norris pipped Russell by 0.102 seconds as raindrops began to appear on the drivers' visors.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026

Villa pulled off a real coup when they pipped Newcastle to Freiburg's 20-year-old midfielder Johan Manzambi, who was a stand-out performer for Switzerland at the World Cup.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton pipped Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli to a stunning pole position for the sprint race at the British Grand Prix.

From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026

Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli pipped Red Bull's Max Verstappen to pole position in a gripping qualifying session at the Monaco Grand Prix.

From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2026

You remember that when I got pipped in France in '15, they sent me out next time to Salonica.

From Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 158, March 17, 1920 by Various

McClenaghan won gold eight years ago, pipping England's Max Whitlock - who has been forced to withdraw from these Games with injury - before collecting silver in Birmingham four years ago.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

After pipping the New York Yankees for the division title, they knocked out the Yankees in the AL division series, then rallied from 0-2 down to beat the Seattle Mariners in the AL championship series.

From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2025

Last year English post-punk band English Teacher won with their debut album "This Could Be Texas", pipping favourite Charli XCX.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2025

After a bad weekend in Baku for both McLaren drivers, and Max Verstappen appearing to go under the radar, should Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris be worried about Max pipping them for the title?

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2025

As a rule it takes ducklings from 24 to 48 hours to hatch after the pipping first begins.

From Ducks and Geese by Harry M. Lamon

Related Words

• kernel
• pit
• seed