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• tip-off
  tip-off

  noun

  the act of tipping off.
• tip off
  tip off

  Supply with secret or private information; also, warn or alert. For example, The broker often tipped her off about stocks about to go down in price, or Somehow they were tipped off and left the country before the police could catch them. [Colloquial; late 1800s]

tip-off

American  

[tip-awf, -of] / ˈtɪpˌɔf, -ˌɒf /

noun

Informal.

1. the act of tipping off.

2. a hint or warning.

   They got a tip-off on the raid.

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tip-off British  

noun

1. a warning or hint, esp given confidentially and based on inside information

2. basketball the act or an instance of putting the ball in play by a jump ball

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verb

1. (tr, adverb) to give a hint or warning to

tip off Idioms  

1. Supply with secret or private information; also, warn or alert. For example, The broker often tipped her off about stocks about to go down in price, or Somehow they were tipped off and left the country before the police could catch them. [Colloquial; late 1800s]

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Etymology

Origin of tip-off

First recorded in 1910–15; noun use of verb phrase tip off

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tip-off tip off

The tip-off: Some of the voices they intercepted had southern accents.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026

The BBC recently received a tip-off that he was in the UK and claiming asylum.

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026

If trends for Game 4 follow the previous games in the series, prices will continue to drop as tip-off comes closer.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 8, 2026

Another tip-off for me about our friendship was that he never mentioned politics or religion.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 8, 2026

As the lift swooped them back down through the banyan branches to the courtyard, Somkit was quiet—a sure tip-off that something was wrong.

From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat

A World Anti-Doping Agency investigation found that Georgia's national testing authority would tip off Georgia's team doctor Nutsa Shamatava about forthcoming tests, and she would then share the information via a team group chat.

From BBC ● May 12, 2026

You can’t see your pool’s other brackets until the games tip off on Thursday.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 16, 2026

Yet CEOs have a fiduciary duty to conceal strategic information that could tip off competitors from arm’s-length shareholders.

From Barron's ● Jan. 2, 2026

The game, which was slated to tip off at 7:30 p.m. at Crypto.com Arena, will be rescheduled at a later date.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 9, 2025

There was a black sergeant who used to tip off Winnie as to what the police were doing.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela