sip
verb (used with object)
to drink (a liquid) a little at a time; take small tastes of.
sip
1 American
[sip]
/ sɪp /
verb (used with object)
-
sips,
present (3rd person singular)
-
sipped,
past participle, past
-
sipping
present participle
-
to drink (a liquid) a little at a time; take small tastes of.
He sipped the hot tea noisily.
-
to drink from a little at a time.
The bird sipped the flower.
-
to take in; absorb.
to sip knowledge at its source.
verb (used without object)
-
sips,
present (3rd person singular)
-
sipped,
past participle, past
-
sipping
present participle
noun
-
sips
plural
-
an instance of sipping; a small taste of a liquid.
One sip told me that the milk was sour.
-
a small quantity taken by sipping.
Take just a sip, not a gulp or a swallow.
SIP
2
American
sip
British
/ sɪp /
verb
noun
-
a small quantity of a liquid taken into the mouth and swallowed
-
an act of sipping
Synonym Usage
See drink.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
sipsimple
-
sipssimple
-
have sippedperfect
-
has sippedperfect
-
am sippingprogressive
-
are sippingprogressive
-
is sippingprogressive
-
have been sippingperfect progressive
-
has been sippingperfect progressive
Past
-
sippedsimple
-
had sippedperfect
-
was sippingprogressive
-
were sippingprogressive
-
had been sippingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of sip
1350–1400; Middle English sippen (v.), akin to Low German sippen to sip
Explanation
When you drink a small amount of something, you sip it. If your cocoa is extremely hot, you should probably sip it until it cools off a little bit. You may sit in a corner and sip your punch at a dull party, but when your long hike leaves you parched, it's hard to sip from your water bottle instead of guzzling. As a noun sip means "small drink," like a sip of Coke or a sip of soup. The origin of sip isn't clear, though we know it's related to the Old English supan, "take into the mouth a little at a time."
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:
They each poured samples of innovative beverages for franchisees to sip.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026
“I love California,” Hilton said, taking one last sip of his horchata.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
"There are lots of alcohol-free events now, like sip and paint. You can also try wellness and wellbeing clubs, like yoga and crafts, if you don't fancy the sport or music societies."
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
Take a sip: Martinis are savored for their elegant simplicity and refined romanticism.
From Slate ● Sep. 15, 2026
“I was just thinking,” said Boaz, taking a small, reluctant sip.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
The ratings provided for each SIP intervention were applied subjectively based on discussions with experts, literature research, and modelling.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 22, 2023
Whenever a corporate phone network makes a call, a VoIP provider hands over the call from the internet to the phone networks - a technology called "SIP trunking".
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2021
“However, we find the opposite: countries that implemented SIP policies experienced a decline in excess mortality prior to implementation compared to countries that did not implement SIP policies.”
From Washington Times ● Jul. 3, 2021
“Prior to the SIP I think people thought the Willamette was so big it wasn’t worth working on,” he said.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 8, 2017
SIP sop stir-up Toorak small beer do si la sol fa me re do Nip nap wash down chops nacks oh! dear.
From The Eureka Stockade by Raffaello Carboni
Lina was feeding them sips of fortified milk from a tiny bottle, but Raad could not keep it down.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
Poornima, a salt pan worker, sips black tea during the day -- saying the hot drink induces sweating in the dry weather to cool the body.
From Barron's ● May 10, 2026
He sips small amounts of ice water because drinking too much is akin to licking one’s lips, causing them to chap.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 3, 2026
I sit next to her, and in between sips and bites, I learn a few things.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 27, 2026
He hesitates before taking the tiniest of sips.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
Eala stared straight ahead and sipped her water.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
Over the past several months, I’ve cooked, grilled, smoked, sipped and served my way through a wide range of products perfect for summer gatherings.
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026
Rodriguez embraced the culture as he sipped a complimentary can of Coca-Cola -- one of around a dozen he had hoarded to share with his family also attending the game.
From Barron's ● Jun. 27, 2026
I woke up in the morning to a warm California sun and hot coffee, sipped on the balcony.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2026
From time to time, green doves and spotted Tenner’s squirrels sipped at the fountain.
From "Willodeen" by Katherine Applegate
“Loving you is just like sipping on straight syrup, sugar, sticky soda,” she sings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026
In the third room, he finds people sipping coffee while waist deep in excrement.
From Salon ● Oct. 25, 2026
People rarely think about money while sipping piña coladas and sailing to exotic destinations, but cruise-line passengers might have noticed a detail that helps explain how those companies make theirs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
It's hard to imagine this man, quietly sipping a cup of tea in his slippers, commanding crowds of thousands.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
“No. We didn’t like him much,” Jonah says, sipping his Coke.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
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