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.
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.
a small quantity of a liquid taken into the mouth and swallowed
an act of sipping
See drink.
1350–1400; Middle English sippen (v.), akin to Low German sippen to sip
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."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Shirley Temple gets passing recognition, only via her namesake drink when the Minions visit a nightclub and sip virgin cocktails loaded with cherries.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
Not because it’s sweet, but because it makes you want another sip.
From Salon ● Jun. 9, 2026
"I didn't drink fluids for two weeks when I was in ICU, and I just remember having that sip of fresh clean water was the best thing I ever tasted in my life."
From BBC ● May 7, 2026
But if you can’t get a grab bag, you can perhaps sip on an award-winning wine.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 24, 2026
The girl adds more to my cup, and I take another sip.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
She then scoured council documents and found there had been a significant rise in the number of penalties issued in the first year the SIP car park was open.
From BBC ● May 19, 2025
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
A reposado cocuy from brand La Capilla, made in Siquisique in Lara, won double gold medals at both the SIP Awards in the United States and the China Wine & Spirits Competition in 2022.
From Reuters ● Feb. 27, 2023
“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
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 Carboni, Raffaello
“It’s going to be pretty spectacular,” she said, between sips of green tea as families and friends strolled the Huntington’s Chinese Garden behind her.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 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
She sips tea throughout the interview in an effort to protect her voice, which is "really delicate" - not from the concerts, but because "I've been talking too much to my friends".
From BBC ● Feb. 23, 2026
On the day after Christmas, Caldeira drives past Santas and reindeer that have already begun to deflate as he listens to audio books and sips his berry energy drink.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 31, 2025
She stopped once or twice more to give him meat to chew and a few sips from her canteen, but otherwise, they walked without speaking, and almost without sound.
From "The Reader" by Traci Chee
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
Two Brazil supporters sipped sodas a little further away.
From Barron's ● Jun. 27, 2026
Standing at the counter next to a crew of workmen, I sipped a latte and munched on a pastry as the smell of espresso and the sound of Italian greetings swirled around me.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 2, 2026
As she sipped a coffee, she reflected on those 21-year-old aspirations.
From BBC ● May 2, 2026
They sipped their hot chocolate as they left the tent.
From "Case of the Sneaky Snowman: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #5" by Carolyn Keene
Photos showed Albanese sipping Fiji's traditional kava drink at a welcome ceremony before the alliance was signed.
From Barron's ● Jul. 6, 2026
Few things say “British summer” like sipping a glass of Pimm’s and watching some of the world’s best athletes compete at grass-court tennis.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026
Up top are mellow selections made for sipping soda or soju.
From Salon ● Jun. 6, 2026
The reason quickly becomes clear, as Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman arrives for a hora feliz con Nithya, sipping a Tajin-rimmed drink and making the rounds to pitch her campaign for mayor.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 17, 2026
Chairs were set up along the walls of the house, and into the yard, and people from the neighborhood, and some I’d never seen before, sat quietly sipping coffee or talking in whispers.
From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago
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.
