tip-off

[tip-awf, -of]

noun

Informal.

1. the act of tipping off.

2. a hint or warning.

   They got a tip-off on the raid.

tip-off

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

verb

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of tip-off¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

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]

Example Sentences

She was identified following a tip-off to police in the Netherlands.

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In a statement shared on social media, Thai police say "the investigation team received a tip-off that a group of foreigners were planning a narcotics handover at the hotel".

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Rose Mnisi was allegedly seeking potential buyers for the human body tissue when she was picked up by security officers following a tip-off.

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The factory raid came after authorities received a tip-off from a worker who had managed to escape.

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Many affected families have formed search teams, known as "buscadores", who scour the countryside and the deserts of northern Mexico, following tip-offs, often from the cartels themselves, as to the whereabouts of mass graves.

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