Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

sip

1 American  
[sip] / sɪp /

verb (used with object)

sipped, sipping

  1. to drink (a liquid) a little at a time; take small tastes of.

    He sipped the hot tea noisily.

  2. to drink from a little at a time.

    The bird sipped the flower.

  3. to take in; absorb.

    to sip knowledge at its source.

verb (used without object)

sipped, sipping

  1. to drink by sips.

noun

  1. an instance of sipping; a small taste of a liquid.

    One sip told me that the milk was sour.

  2. a small quantity taken by sipping.

    Take just a sip, not a gulp or a swallow.
SIP 2 American  

  1. supplemental income plan.

sip British  
/ sɪp /

verb

  1. to drink (a liquid) by taking small mouthfuls; drink gingerly or delicately

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a small quantity of a liquid taken into the mouth and swallowed

  2. an act of sipping

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See drink.

Other Word Forms

  • sipper noun
  • sippingly adverb
  • unsipped adjective

Etymology

Origin of sip

1350–1400; Middle English sippen (v.), akin to Low German sippen to sip

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.

"More AI," said one viral Threads post, questioning why his cup remained full after a large sip.

From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026

Odor compounds are released as we chew or sip, traveling from the mouth to the nose though the nasal pharynx at the back of throat.

From Science Daily • Feb. 9, 2026

"Just sip water, that's more than good enough and keep your hard-earned money for other things."

From BBC • Jan. 1, 2026

A resident of wine country, Allen can sip hard-to-find vintages at any of the 400-plus local wineries.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 26, 2025

I took another sip, this one less tentative, and Luc raised his own glass.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

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.