tip

¹ American  

[tip] / tɪp /

noun

1. a slender or pointed end or extremity, especially of anything long or tapered.

   the tips of the fingers.

2. the top, summit, or apex.

   the tip of the mountain.

3. a small piece or part, as of metal or leather, forming or covering the extremity of something.

   a cane with a rubber tip.

4. Also called tip-in.  Also called tip-on.  an insert, as an illustration, map, or errata slip, pasted to a page of a book, magazine, etc., usually along the binding margin.

5. a small, delicate tool made of fine hair cemented between two cards, for applying gold leaf.

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verb (used with object)

tipped, tipping

1. to furnish with a tip.

2. to serve as or form the tip of.

3. to mark or adorn the tip of.

4. to remove the tip or stem of (berries or certain fruits or vegetables).

5. to frost the ends of (hair strands).

   I'm having my hair cut and tipped tomorrow.

verb phrase

1. tip in to paste the inner margin of (a map, illustration, or other plate) into a signature before gathering.

tip ² American  

[tip] / tɪp /

verb (used with object)

tipped, tipping

1. to cause to assume a slanting or sloping position; incline; tilt.

2. to overturn, upset, or overthrow (often followed byover ).

3. to remove or lift (one's hat or cap) in salutation.

4. British. to empty out (contents) from a container by tilting; dump: Tip the batter into a rectangular baking dish.

   The dustmen tipped the rubbish on the municipal dump.

   Tip the batter into a rectangular baking dish.

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verb (used without object)

tipped, tipping

1. to assume a slanting or sloping position; incline.

2. to tilt up at one end and down at the other; slant.

3. to be overturned or upset.

   The car tipped into the ditch.

4. to tumble or topple (usually followed byover ).

   The lamp on the table tipped over.

noun

1. the act of tipping.

2. the state of being tipped.

3. British.

   1. a dump for refuse, as that from a mine.

   2. Informal. an untidy place, especially a room.

      They must have packed and left in a rush, because the place is an absolute tip.

idioms

1. tip one's hand, to reveal one's plans, true feelings, etc., often unintentionally.

tip ³ American  

[tip] / tɪp /

noun

1. a small present of money given directly to someone for performing a service or menial task; gratuity.

   He gave the waiter a dollar as a tip.

2. a piece of private or secret information, as for use in betting, speculating, or writing a news story.

   a tip from a bookie.

3. a useful hint or idea; a basic, practical fact.

   tips on painting.

   Synonyms:

   pointer, suggestion

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verb (used with object)

tipped, tipping

1. to give a gratuity to.

verb (used without object)

tipped, tipping

1. to give a gratuity.

   She tipped lavishly.

verb phrase

1. tip off

   1. to supply with private or secret information; inform.

   2. to warn of impending danger or trouble; caution beforehand.

      The moonshiners had been tipped off that they were about to be raided.

tip ⁴ American  

[tip] / tɪp /

noun

1. a light, smart blow; tap.

2. Baseball. a batted ball that glances off the bat.

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verb (used with object)

tipped, tipping

1. to strike or hit with a light, smart blow; tap.

2. Baseball. to strike (the ball) with a glancing blow.

tip ¹ British  

/ tɪp /

verb

1. to tilt or cause to tilt

2. to tilt or cause to tilt, so as to overturn or fall

3. to dump (rubbish, etc)

4. to take off, raise, or touch one's hat in salutation

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noun

1. the act of tipping or the state of being tipped

2. a dump for refuse, etc

tip ² British  

/ tɪp /

noun

1. the extreme end of something, esp a narrow or pointed end

2. the top or summit

3. a small piece forming an extremity or end

   a metal tip on a cane

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verb

1. to adorn or mark the tip of

2. to cause to form a tip

tip ³ British  

/ tɪp /

noun

1. a payment given for services in excess of the standard charge; gratuity

2. a helpful hint, warning, or other piece of information

3. a piece of inside information, esp in betting or investing

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verb

1. to give a tip to (a person)

tip ⁴ British  

/ tɪp /

verb

1. to hit or strike lightly

2. to hit (a ball) indirectly so that it glances off the bat in cricket

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noun

1. a light blow

2. a glancing hit in cricket

tip More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing tip

• from head (tip) to toe
• on the tip of one's tongue

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Other Word Forms

• tipless
  adjective
• tippable
  adjective
• untippable
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of tip¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English; compare Dutch, Low German, Danish tip, Swedish tipp, German zipf- in Zipfel “tip”

Origin of tip²

First recorded in 1300–50; earlier tipen, Middle English typen “to upset, overturn”

Origin of tip³

First recorded in 1600–10; perhaps special use of tip ⁴

Origin of tip⁴

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English (noun); perhaps from Low German; compare German tippen “to tap,” from Low German

Explanation

The pointed or tapered end of something is its tip. There's the tip of your dog's wagging tail, the tips of your fingers, or the tip of the continent of South America. When you can almost remember someone's name, you might say it's on the tip of your tongue, and when something's just "the tip of the iceberg," it's only one small bit of a much larger problem. Other meanings of tip include "tilt," like when you tip your hat as you stroll down the street, and "gratuity," or the extra money you give a waiter or barber in exchange for good service.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tip tipped tipping

A cleaning tip to liberate your home from sticker tyranny: If you have a kiddo in your life, you know that stickers can magically appear on just about every surface within their arm’s reach.

From Slate ● Jul. 13, 2026

Two weeks later, on Dec. 8, San Francisco police got a tip that Kirchner had been spotted at a cheap motel two hours away in Merced, Calif., according to police records.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

After pummelling a chain of remote Japanese islands, it brought heavy rainfall to Taiwan as it brushed past its northern tip.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

After slamming into the Japanese islands and sweeping past Taiwan's northern tip, Bavi is expected to make landfall in eastern China over the weekend.

From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026

The U.S. fleet formed a long arc stretching from Puerto Rico to the tip of Florida, blocking the path to Cuba.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

The new chairman, who testifies this week, hasn’t tipped his hand.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

Authorities were tipped off to the crimes after one of the dog owners told authorities that they received a message from the trainer saying their dog had died in its sleep and was cremated.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi lands in Australia on Wednesday ahead of talks tipped to focus on defence ties, critical minerals and securing prized uranium.

From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026

Consumer price inflation is tipped to have remained at 1.2% on year, while producer price inflation is forecast to have risen to 4.0% from 3.9% last month, ANZ Research Asia economist Krystal Tan said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026

He tipped his head to the side in a doglike expression of bewilderment.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

The tipping point came when Wrobleski surrendered eight runs to the Nationals in his first major-league start of the 2025 season.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

“With so much riding on so few names, a slower payoff wouldn’t just be a sector problem, it would risk tipping the economy into recession and the S&P 500 into a correction,” Slok wrote.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026

“A tipping point for the yield curve will be when the Fed shifts from its current hawkish stance to a more neutral position,” Nizard said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026

But could the unprecedented decision to cancel Folarin Balogun's red-card suspension for the United States' World Cup last-16 tie against Belgium be the tipping point?

From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026

Looking up from this angle, it’s like the world’s tipping inward: dizzyingly tall buildings and a bright fireball sun.

From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

Related Words

• bend
• dump
• lean
• spill
• tilt
• topple
• upset