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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

How can I best sup port my girlfriend?

From Slate ● Feb. 4, 2021

After a screening of the season’s first episode, guests repaired to the nearby Lobster Club to sup on buffets of sushi and pasta.

From New York Times ● Feb. 5, 2020

"Don't be afraid, he won't hurt you. Sweet brother, please, forgive her, the girl misspoke herself, I told her to ask you to sup with me, if it pleases Your Grace."

From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin

“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

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 James, Henry

NOTE.—The euphonic variations suc-, suf-, sug-, sum-, sup-, result from assimilating the b of sub- to the initial letter of the root.

From New Word-Analysis Or, School Etymology of English Derivative Words by Swinton, William

Beside the cathedral, on the north, is a curious structure of the fourteenth or fifteenth century, which looks like an enormous flying buttress, with its sup- port, sustaining the north tower.

From A Little Tour in France by James, Henry

For the Wertherism, v. sup. on Chateaubriand, p.

From A History of the French Novel, Vol. 2 To the Close of the 19th Century by Saintsbury, George

Reip. ubi sup. refers to the dissolution of the ancient hereditary aristocracy, which Plutarch calls ἀρίστην πολιτείαν.710.Herod, ubi sup.711.Diod.

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

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 Müller, Karl Otfried

Apollon. et Pind. ubi sup.; according to other authors, referred to by Steph.

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

See Benfey's parallels, ut. sup. pp. 497-98, and Grimm, No. 87, notes.

From Italian Popular Tales by Crane, Thomas Frederick

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

Some of the riffs, I think, “Hmm, maybe we supped at the same table.”

From New York Times ● Sep. 19, 2022

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

Forty-seven years, and the taste still lingered in his memory, yet he could not have said what he had supped on ten days ago if all seven kingdoms had depended on it.

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

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

“What I didn’t realize is that supping with them would actually have a broader impact on how the world sees me as a scientist,” he said.

From New York Times ● Dec. 31, 2016

But the women were rewarded with the sight of two bright orange sulfur butterflies and a cluster of Western tiger swallowtail supping on teasel flowers.

From Washington Times ● Jul. 9, 2016

The Friar was unwillinge to believe that I had met a talking Ferret and did ask me whether I had been supping of Brother Boniface’s Turnip Wine.

From "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" by J.K. Rowling