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whip

[ hwip, wip ]

/ ʰwɪp, wɪp /

||

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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 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 whipping; whisk.

a dish made of cream or egg whites whipped to a froth with flavoring, often with fruit pulp or the like: prune 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. a person who uses a whip as part of his or her work, as a driver of horses or a coachman.

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.

Nearby words

Origin of whip

1200–50; Middle English w(h)ippe (noun), w(h)ippen (v.); cognate with Dutch wippen to swing, oscillate; compare Low German wip(pe) quick movement

SYNONYMS FOR whip

1. scourge, flagellate, switch, punish, chastise. 6. beat, conquer. 8, 10. whisk. 17. switch.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR whip ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for whip

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
Been dying to see that powerful sexual masochist woo and whip that mousy college student?
The ‘50 Shades of Grey’ Trailer Is Pretty Ridiculous, Right?|Kevin Fallon|July 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Instead of sleeping with them, however, Joffrey forces Ros to beat Daisy with a whip… and then a giant club.
Game of Thrones’ 8 Most Gruesome Deaths: From The Mountain’s Exploding Head Kill to Rat Torture|Marlow Stern|June 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The driver shook his head and pointed forward with his whip.
The Kentons|William Dean Howells
If necessary, the whip may be used, by gentle touches upon the left shoulder.
The Lady and Her Horse|T. A. Jenkins
This young man held a whip, which he brandished in the air like a rider about to mount his horse.
Yiddish Tales|Various
I promised, I did; and I never will; not if you whip me to death.'
The Pansy Magazine, January 1886|Various
She led him back upon the plateau, and, urging him both with whip and voice, she started him again toward the yawning chasm.
Led Astray and The Sphinx|Octave Feuillet

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 Formswhiplike, 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

Word Origin and History for whip

whip

v.

mid-13c., wippen "flap violently," from Proto-Germanic *wipp- (cf. Danish vippe "to raise with a swipe," Middle Dutch, Dutch wippen "to swing," Old High German wipf "swing, impetus"), from PIE *wib- "move quickly." The cookery sense is from 1670s. Related: Whipped; whipping. Whipping boy first recorded 1640s; whipping block is from c.1877. Whip-saw is attested from 1530s; whip snake first recorded 1774.

whip

n.

early 14c., from whip (v.). In parliamentary use from 1850 (the verb in this sense is recorded from 1742), from the sense in fox-hunting. The parliamentary whip's duty originally was to ensure the attendance of party members on important occasions.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Culture 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.

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.