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• sup
  sup

  interjection

  wassup.
• sup-
  sup-

  variant of sub- before p:
• sup.
  sup.

  abbreviation

  superior.

sup

¹ American  

[suhp] / sʌp /

Or 'sup

interjection

Slang.

1. wassup.

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sup ² American  

[suhp] / sʌp /

verb (used without object)

supped, supping

1. to eat the evening meal; have supper.

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verb (used with object)

supped, supping

1. to provide with or entertain at supper.

sup ³ American  

[suhp] / sʌp /

verb (used with object)

supped, supping

1. to take (liquid food, or any liquid) into the mouth in small quantities, as from a spoon or cup; sip.

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verb (used without object)

supped, supping

1. to take liquid into the mouth in small quantities, as by spoonfuls or sips.

noun

1. a mouthful or small portion of drink or liquid food; sip.

sup ⁴ American  

[soop] / sup /

noun

Mathematics.

1. supremum. See least upper bound.

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sup- ⁵ American  

1. variant of sub- before p:

   suppose.

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sup. ⁶ American  

abbreviation

1. superior.

2. superlative.

3. supine.

4. supplement.

5. supplementary.

6. supply.

7. supra.

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sup ¹ British  

/ sʌp /

verb

1. to partake of (liquid) by swallowing a little at a time

2. dialect to drink

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noun

1. a sip

sup. ² British  

abbreviation

1. above

2. superior

3. grammar superlative

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sup ³ British  

/ sʌp /

verb

1. archaic (intr) to have supper

2. obsolete (tr) to provide with supper

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Etymology

Origin of sup¹

First recorded in 1985–90; by shortening

Origin of sup²

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English s(o)upen, soupe, from Old French souper “to take supper,” from Germanic; compare Old English sūpan “to swallow, taste, sip”; see sup ³

Origin of sup³

First recorded before 900; Middle English s(o)uppen, soup(p)e, Old English sūpan; cognate with German saufen “to drink”; cf. sip, sop, soup, sup ²

Origin of sup⁴

First recorded in 1940–45; by shortening

Explanation

To sup is to eat slowly, by spoonfuls. When you eat soup, you probably sup it. You can really only sup soft foods and liquids, like oatmeal and milkshakes and miso soup. A sick person taking gingerly spoons of Jello into his mouth can be said to sup, and so can a hesitant baby eating tiny bites of pureed carrots. Sup essentially means "sip," and its root is the Old English sūpan, "to sip or swallow."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sup sup- sup. supped supping

Jimmy Adams, who oversees the pub, says the idea behind the venue was to create a place where people could meet regardless of whether they wanted to sup upon alcoholic or non-alcoholic drinks.

From BBC ● Mar. 1, 2024

Now, there is only three years to go until the pub rises again and thirsty regulars can sup a beer — or two.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 27, 2024

You will sip as well as you sup.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 21, 2021

How can I best sup port my girlfriend?

From Slate ● Feb. 4, 2021

But when we sup or dine, I know the looks my voice will invite, and I cannot bring myself to speak.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson

“And what college is sup- posed to do is to allow you to live more fully in your time.”

From MSNBC ● Mar. 21, 2015

In Barn Dance, farm wives of 1850 prepare a picnic sup- per, children play and bicker, bashful hayseeds choose partners.

From Time Magazine Archive

She only got handy the Union-house on Sunday morning 'a b'lieve, and 'tis sup- posed here and there that she had traipsed every step of the way from Melchester.

From Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy

A passage of double aisles surrounds it, with the arches that divide them sup- ported on very thick round columns, not clustered.

From A Little Tour in France by Henry James

I sup- posed that you, being acquainted with the history of your country, felt under a certain obligation to Thomas Paine for the splendid services rendered by him in the darkest days of the Revolution.

From The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 5 (of 12) Dresden Edition?Discussions by Robert Green Ingersoll

And so forth. ut dict., ut dictum=As said. ut sup., ut supra=As above. ux., uxor=Wife.   v., versus=Against; vide=See; Verb; Verse; Volume; Viscount.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various

I, § 2.102.There was a hero named Azorus, Hesychius in Ἄζωρος.103.Hemsterhuis incorrectly considers them as identical, ubi sup. p. 116.104.Athen.

From The History and Antiquities of the Doric Race, Vol. 1 of 2 by Karl Otfried Müller

Z 34 sup. at Milan, Dean Burgon testifies that the Catholic and Pauline Epistles are followed by the Gospels; in Basil.

From A Plain Introduction to the Criticism of the New Testament, Vol. I. by Frederick Henry Ambrose Scrivener

P. 7-10 cm. soon plane, orange or golden, viscid, naked; g. free; s. 8-12 cm. slender, white, floccosely-squamulose, ring sup. volva marginate; sp. ——. citrina, Gon.

From European Fungus Flora: Agaricaceae by George Massee

P. 4-9 cm. exp. rivulose, rugulose, tawny, edge pale; g. adnate, pallid then fuscous; s. 8-14 cm. equal, silky-white, ring sup. tumid; sp.

From European Fungus Flora: Agaricaceae by George Massee

Mr McCann added that he and his wife had "supped with the Devil" by working with the Sun in 2011, in order to have the investigation into Madeleine's disappearance reviewed - illustrating the newspaper's influence.

From BBC ● Dec. 10, 2025

Early arrivals supped on chilled golden beet soup before an entree of king oyster mushroom “scallops” with mushroom risotto, brussels sprouts and carrots.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 5, 2020

I have drunk the legendary Vietnamese coffee and supped the sulphurous vegetable broth on the collapsing sofas.

From The Verge ● Mar. 31, 2018

“He’s supped at this table since he’s been three years old,” Biden’s beaming father said in celebrating the election of his son, who was a toddler when his father was elected to the Senate.

From The Guardian ● May 30, 2015

A captive she might be, but she was still a Greyjoy of Pyke, and it pleased Stannis Baratheon to feed her scraps from his own table, where he supped with his captains and commanders.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

In overnight towns, we made a habit of supping at churches, which offered hospitality and dinners of pasta, lasagna, chicken.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026

Robert Jenrick, Kemi Badenoch, James Cleverly and Tom Tugendhat are hitting the phones and supping breakfast, lunch, tea, coffee, dinner, beer and wine with any Conservative MP with an appetite or a thirst.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2024

Retro china finds some of us supping off the portraits of Jack and Jackie and Dick and Pat.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 4, 2018

This was the modern-day equivalent of supping from Mr Bannon’s gilded skull.

From Economist ● Jan. 11, 2018

Pa didn’t come to dinner that night, said he’d be supping with Mr. Clemson to iron things out.

From "Worth" by A. LaFaye