Top Definitions
Synonyms
Quiz
Related Content
Examples
British
Cultural
Idioms And Phrases

whip

[ wip, hwip ]

/ wɪp, ʰwɪp /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: whip / whipped / whipping / whipper on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), whipped or whipt, whip·ping.

to beat with a strap, lash, rod, or the like, especially by way of punishment or chastisement; flog; thrash: Criminals used to be whipped for minor offenses.

to strike with quick, repeated strokes of something slender and flexible; lash: He impatiently whipped his leg with his riding crop.

to urge or force on with, or as with, a lash, rod, etc.

to lash or castigate with words.

to train or organize forcefully: to whip the team into shape.

Informal. to defeat or overcome: to whip the opposition;to whip a bad habit.

to hoist or haul by means of a lash or whip.

to move quickly and suddenly; pull, jerk, seize, or the like, with a sudden movement (often followed by out, in, into, etc.): He whipped his gun out of its holster.

to fish (a stream, lake, etc.) with rod and line, especially by making repeated casts: I whipped the stream all day and caught nothing.

to beat (eggs, cream, etc.) to a froth with an eggbeater, whisk, fork, or other implement in order to mix in air and cause expansion.

to overlay or cover (cord, rope, etc.) with cord, thread, or the like wound about it: to whip the end of a hawser.

to wind (cord, twine, thread, etc.) about something: The tailor whipped the seams with heavy thread.

to sew with a light overcasting stitch.

verb (used without object), whipped or whipt, whip·ping.

to move or go quickly and suddenly; dart; whisk: She whipped into the store for some milk.

to beat or lash about, as a pennant in the wind.

to fish with rod and line, especially by casting the line frequently.

noun

an instrument for striking, as in driving animals or in punishing, typically consisting of a lash or other flexible part with a more rigid handle.

a whipping or lashing stroke or motion.

a utensil for beating to a froth; whisk.

a dish made of cream or egg whites beaten to a froth, and usually blended with puréed fruit into a mousse-like consistency: pineapple whip.

Politics.

a party manager in a legislative body who secures attendance for voting and directs other members.
(in Britain) a written call made on members of a party to be in attendance for voting.

a windmill vane.

Hunting. a whipper-in.

a tackle consisting of a fall rove through a single standing block (single whip ) so as to change the direction of hauling with no mechanical advantage, or consisting of a fall secured at one end and rove through a single running and a single standing block (double whip ) so as to change the direction of hauling with a mechanical advantage of two, neglecting friction.Compare gun tackle.

the wrapping around the end of a whipped cord or the like.

Also called whirl .Machinery. eccentric rotation of a shaft having its center line slightly curved between supporting bearings.

a branchless shoot of a woody plant, especially one resulting from the first year's growth of a bud or graft.

Chiefly British: Older Use. a person who uses a whip as part of their work, such as a coachman or a driver of horses.

Verb Phrases

whip in, Hunting. to prevent from wandering, as hounds.

whip off, Informal. to write hurriedly: He whipped off three new songs last night.

whip up, Informal.

to plan or assemble quickly: to whip up a delicious dinner.
to incite; arouse; stir: to whip up the mob.

OTHER WORDS FOR whip

1 scourge, flagellate, switch.

4 reprimand, scold, chastise.

6 beat, conquer.

10 whisk.

17 switch.

See synonyms for whip on Thesaurus.com

VIDEO FOR WHIP

How Does "Whip" Have So Many Definitions?

"Whip" is one of the most versatile words we have. We bet we'll teach you a few uses for the word that you never knew!

MORE VIDEOS FROM DICTIONARY.COM

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of whip

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English w(h)ippe (noun),w(h)ippen (verb); cognate with Dutch wippen “to swing, oscillate”; compare Low German wip(pe) “quick movement”

OTHER WORDS FROM whip

whip·like, adjectivewhip·per, nouno·ver·whip, verb (used with object), o·ver·whipped, o·ver·whip·ping.pre·whip, verb (used with object), pre·whipped, pre·whip·ping.

self-whip·per, nounun·whipt, adjective

Words nearby whip

whining, whinny, whinstone, whiny, whio, whip, whip-and-tongue graft, whipbird, whipcord, whip-cracker, whip graft

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use whip in a sentence

When the farmers decided the boys were not working hard enough, they “were beaten with whips and tree branches.”
The Supreme Court will decide: Can Big Chocolate be blamed for child slavery?|Vivienne Walt|November 26, 2020|Fortune
Today, range is king—the contemporary measurement of choice is how far your whip can go on a single charge.
Ford’s electric Mustang Mach-E gets its official EPA range|Jonathan M. Gitlin|November 23, 2020|Ars Technica
Lee was whip smart, could be charming when he wanted to and preferred to operate behind the scenes.
Investors Extracted $400 Million From a Hospital Chain That Sometimes Couldn’t Pay for Medical Supplies or Gas for Ambulances|by Peter Elkind with Doris Burke|September 30, 2020|ProPublica
Her transformation into a soldier — buying a horse and a saddle and a bridle and a whip — takes up half a stanza.
The history of Mulan, from a 6th-century ballad to the live-action Disney movie|Constance Grady|September 4, 2020|Vox

“I just think she’s been tested on the national stage … and she’s whip smart,” says Caraway in the latest episode of The Carlos Watson Show, hosted by the OZY co-founder and CEO.
The Democratic Insiders Who Helped Pave the Way for Kamala Harris|Nick Fouriezos|August 17, 2020|Ozy
Again, I do not know House Majority Whip Scalise or President Obama personally.
Reverend Jeremiah Wright Was Worse Than Scalise|Ron Christie|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Just a week before the start of a new Congress, the new House majority whip is fighting for his political life.
No. 3 Republican Admits Talking to White Supremacist Conference|Tim Mak|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Given how little time they had to whip this project to the finish line, they accomplished a lot.
Elvis Costello, Marcus Mumford, and Others Crowdsource A Dylan Album|Malcolm Jones|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
What he may lack in leadership or due diligence skills, he makes up for in his abilities to whip the media into subservience.
‘Whip it!’ Japanese Prime Minister Abe’s Cabinet Of Horrors|Jake Adelstein|October 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And then you'd whip out your iPhone and pull up that snarky tweet your friend wrote linking to the E!
Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Martin Consciously Couple|Kevin Fallon|August 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Q was a Queen, who wore a silk slip; R was a Robber, and wanted a whip.
Boys and Girls Bookshelf; a Practical Plan of Character Building, Volume I (of 17)|Various
And that was he also in kilts, at the age of five, wearing long curls and holding a whip in his hand.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
As commander-in-chief, Bonaparte, for the time being, held the whip hand and could show his dislike by severe reprimands.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
The memory of the hawk-nosed, steel-eyed officer who rode from Kurnaul to Meerut in twenty-four hours smote him like a whip.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
She gave him a cavalier little nod, touched her horse with the whip, and a moment later was lost in a cloud of dust.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton

British Dictionary definitions for whip

whip

/ (wɪp) /

verb whips, whipping or whipped

to strike (a person or thing) with several strokes of a strap, rod, etc

(tr) to punish by striking in this manner

(tr; foll by out, away, etc) to pull, remove, etc, with sudden rapid motionto whip out a gun

(intr; foll by down, into, out of, etc) informal to come, go, etc, in a rapid sudden mannerthey whipped into the bar for a drink

to strike or be struck as if by whippingthe tempest whipped the surface of the sea

(tr) to criticize virulently

(tr) to bring, train, etc, forcefully into a desired condition (esp in the phrases whip into line and whip into shape)

(tr) informal to overcome or outdoI know when I've been whipped

(tr; often foll by on, out, or off) to drive, urge, compel, etc, by or as if by whipping

(tr) to wrap or wind (a cord, thread, etc) around (a rope, cable, etc) to prevent chafing or fraying

(tr) nautical to hoist by means of a rope through a single pulley

(tr) (in fly-fishing) to cast the fly repeatedly onto (the water) in a whipping motion

(tr) (in sewing) to join, finish, or gather with whipstitch

to beat (eggs, cream, etc) with a whisk or similar utensil to incorporate air and produce expansion

(tr) to spin (a top)

(tr) informal to stealhe whipped her purse

noun

a device consisting of a lash or flexible rod attached at one end to a stiff handle and used for driving animals, inflicting corporal punishment, etc

a whipping stroke or motion

a person adept at handling a whip, as a coachman, etc

(in a legislative body)

a member of a party chosen to organize and discipline the members of his faction, esp in voting and to assist in the arrangement of the business
a call issued to members of a party, insisting with varying degrees of urgency upon their presence or loyal voting behaviour
(in the British Parliament) a schedule of business sent to members of a party each week. Each item on it is underlined to indicate its importance: one line means that no division is expected, two lines means that the item is fairly important, and three lines means that the item is very important and every member must attend and vote according to the party line

an apparatus for hoisting, consisting of a rope, pulley, and snatch block

any of a variety of desserts made from egg whites or cream beaten stiff, sweetened, and flavoured with fruit, fruit juice, etc

a windmill vane

transient elastic movement of a structure or part when subjected to sudden release of load or dynamic excitation

a percussion instrument consisting of two strips of wood, joined forming the shape of a V, and clapped loudly together

flexibility, as in the shaft of a golf club, etc

a ride in a funfair involving bumper cars that move with sudden jerks

a wrestling throw in which a wrestler seizes his opponent's arm and spins him to the floor

a fair crack of the whip informal a fair chance or opportunity

See also whip in, whip-round, whips, whip up

Derived forms of whip

whiplike, adjectivewhipper, noun

Word Origin for whip

C13: perhaps from Middle Dutch wippen to swing; related to Middle Dutch wipfen to dance, German Wipfel tree top

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for whip

whip

In the United States Congress or state legislatures, an assistant to the majority leader or minority leader responsible for stirring up party support on issues, keeping track of party members' votes, and acting as a general liaison between the majority leader or minority leader and other party members.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Other Idioms and Phrases with whip

whip

In addition to the idiom beginning with whip

whip up

also see:

crack the whip
lick (whip) into shape
smart as a whip
upper (whip) hand

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.