quip
Americannoun
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quips
plural
verb (used without object)
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quips,
present (3rd person singular)
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quipped,
past participle, past
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quipping
present participle
noun
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a sarcastic or cutting remark; gibe
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a witty or clever saying
a merry quip
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archaic another word for quibble
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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quipsimple
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quipssimple
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have quippedperfect
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has quippedperfect
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am quippingprogressive
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are quippingprogressive
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is quippingprogressive
-
have been quippingperfect progressive
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has been quippingperfect progressive
Past
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quippedsimple
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had quippedperfect
-
was quippingprogressive
-
were quippingprogressive
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had been quippingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of quip
1525–35; back formation from quippy quip < Latin quippe indeed
Explanation
A quip — a short, witty comment — can be pleasant, wise, or sarcastic, but usually carries an element of humor. A quip is a witty or clever remark that sounds spur-of-the-moment. A successful quip must sound offhand, as though it were an afterthought, even if the speaker has been honing the statement for days. Dorothy Parker was a famous writer known for her quick quips, such as, "The best way to keep children home is to make the home atmosphere pleasant — and let the air out of the tires."
Vocabulary lists containing quip
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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:
However, when Minton Beddoes noted his almost 250 million followers on X at one point during the interview, Musk was quick to quip: "Popular guy".
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
He quickly returned his gaze to Stern for another quip.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026
Some pointed to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s pre-dinner quip that there would be “shots fired” in Trump’s speech.
From Salon ● Apr. 27, 2026
Others pointed to Karoline Leavitt’s quip before the dinner that during Trump’s speech there would be “shots fired.”
From Slate ● Apr. 26, 2026
Foaly did what he was told without a single quip.
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
"When you are in the job nothing is strange," quips one top-flight recruitment chief.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
RuPaul enters the fold and steals the show, and suddenly, none of the quips and bits can quite measure up to his delivery.
From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026
Pattinson’s voice is nearly unrecognizable as he delivers some of Hansen’s signature quips, including “What would have happened if I wasn’t here?” and “You see how this looks, right?”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2026
That institution comes in for specific criticism from Savouri who quips that the IMF acronym would be more accurate were it to represent the Invariably Mistaken Forecaster providing Grossly Distorted Projections.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 15, 2026
“When you’re as handsome as I am, the course never runs smooth,” he quips.
From "We Were Liars" by E. Lockhart
Graham quipped in his final days that he couldn’t die now because he was close to achieving both goals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Another quipped, “Thanks for the update! Can’t you just hear her saying, ‘Let me go! don’t you know I’ve got two kids to take care of?”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
"It's difficult - there are a lot of Ukrianian drones there," Zelensky quipped, alluding to Ukraine's long-range drone strikes on Moscow.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
“I joke around with him, like, ‘Well, you didn’t take care of me in the marriage, but you’re taking care of me in the divorce!’” she quipped.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 4, 2026
“Those’ll be some jewels,” quipped one of the junior scythes, and everyone laughed.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
Albanese took to the stage at that event to declare "Modi is the Boss", quipping that his crowd-pulling power eclipsed even that of US rock icon Bruce Springsteen.
From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026
His bespectacled, quipping presence lent the show some book-world class, the new medium poaching prestige from the old.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 30, 2026
This achievement is all the more remarkable considering that, in the next theater over, Fanning was punching, kicking and quipping in “Predator: Badlands.”
From Salon ● Jan. 24, 2026
Lycett put a post on Instagram two weeks ago quipping that Tyseley's tip was "superior" to one in Kings Norton, prompting hundreds of comments from Brummies about their preferred dumps.
From BBC ● Apr. 10, 2025
It was the meeting-place of the little "quoting, quipping, quaffing" club of fellow-workers in Bohemia; and Lemon, it was explained, had dabbled both in verse and the lighter drama, efforts which were "not half bad."
From The History of "Punch" by Spielmann, M. H. (Marion Harry)
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.
