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.

---

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.

---

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

---

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.

---

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

---

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

---

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

---

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

---

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

---

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

A county Building Services Department official received a tip that the property was being used by two pyrotechnics businesses in June 2022, according to the report.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2026

“I think this is the tip of the iceberg; you could easily double or triple the number of university retirement communities.”

From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026

Police investigated the deaths for over a decade, and had been sitting on a tip that - once acted upon - led to the killer within weeks.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

The risk that a widening conflict would drag down growth and tip the economy into a downturn had been the last, best argument for resuming rate cuts.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

She never whupped us with it because it was too valuable: a fine polished maple shaft with a brass bullet tip.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

Related Words

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