whip

American  

[hwip, wip] / ʰwɪp, wɪp /

verb (used with object)

• whips,
  present (3rd person singular)
• whipped,
  past participle,  past
• whipt,
  past participle,  past (Archaic)
• whipping
  present participle

1. 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.

   Synonyms:

   chastise, scold, reprimand, switch, flagellate, scourge

2. to strike with quick, repeated strokes of something slender and flexible; lash.

   He impatiently whipped his leg with his riding crop.

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

4. to lash or castigate with words.

5. to train or organize forcefully.

   to whip the team into shape.

6. Informal. to defeat or overcome.

   to whip the opposition;

   to whip a bad habit.

   Synonyms:

   conquer, beat

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

8. 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.

9. to fish (a stream, lake, etc.) with rod and line, especially by making repeated casts.

   I whipped the stream all day and caught nothing.

10. 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.

    Synonyms:

    whisk

11. to overlay or cover (cord, rope, etc.) with cord, thread, or the like wound about it.

    to whip the end of a hawser.

12. to wind (cord, twine, thread, etc.) about something.

    The tailor whipped the seams with heavy thread.

13. to sew with a light overcasting stitch.

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verb (used without object)

• whips,
  present (3rd person singular)
• whipped,
  past participle,  past
• whipt,
  past participle,  past (Archaic)
• whipping
  present participle

1. to move or go quickly and suddenly; dart; whisk.

   She whipped into the store for some milk.

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

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

noun

• whips
  plural

1. 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.

   Synonyms:

   switch

2. a whipping or lashing stroke or motion.

3. a utensil for beating to a froth; whisk.

4. 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.

5. Politics.

   1. a party manager in a legislative body who secures attendance for voting and directs other members.

   2. (in Britain) a written call made on members of a party to be in attendance for voting.

6. a windmill vane.

7. Hunting. a whipper-in.

8. 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.

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

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

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

12. 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 phrase

1. whip off to write hurriedly.

   He whipped off three new songs last night.

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

3. whip up

   1. to plan or assemble quickly.

      to whip up a delicious dinner.

   2. to incite; arouse; stir.

      to whip up the mob.

whip British  

/ wɪp /

verb

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

2. (tr) to punish by striking in this manner

3. (tr; foll by out, away, etc) to pull, remove, etc, with sudden rapid motion

   to whip out a gun

4. informal (intr; foll by down, into, out of, etc) to come, go, etc, in a rapid sudden manner

   they whipped into the bar for a drink

5. to strike or be struck as if by whipping

   the tempest whipped the surface of the sea

6. (tr) to criticize virulently

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

8. informal (tr) to overcome or outdo

   I know when I've been whipped

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

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

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

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

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

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

15. (tr) to spin (a top)

16. informal (tr) to steal

    he whipped her purse

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noun

1. 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

2. a whipping stroke or motion

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

4. 1. 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

   2. a call issued to members of a party, insisting with varying degrees of urgency upon their presence or loyal voting behaviour

   3. (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

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

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

7. See whipper-in

8. a windmill vane

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

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

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

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

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

14. informal a fair chance or opportunity

whip Cultural  

1. 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.

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whip Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing whip

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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• self-whipper
  noun
• whipper
  noun
• overwhip
  verb (used with object)
• prewhip
  verb (used with object)
• unwhipt
  adjective
• whiplike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• whips
  plural

Participles

• whipping
  present
• whipped
  past
• whipt
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• whip
  simple
• whips
  simple
• have whipped
  perfect
• have whipt
  perfect
• has whipped
  perfect
• has whipt
  perfect
• am whipping
  progressive
• are whipping
  progressive
• is whipping
  progressive
• have been whipping
  perfect progressive
• has been whipping
  perfect progressive

Past

• whipped
  simple
• whipt
  simple
• had whipped
  perfect
• had whipt
  perfect
• was whipping
  progressive
• were whipping
  progressive
• had been whipping
  perfect progressive

Future

• will whip
  simple
• will have whipped
  perfect
• will have whipt
  perfect
• will be whipping
  progressive
• will have been whipping
  perfect progressive

Etymology

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”

Explanation

A whip is a cord or piece of leather used for hitting an animal or a person, and to whip something or someone is to strike them with a whip. You can also figuratively whip an opponent or whip someone in shape. Giddy up! When you hit an animal with a whip, you whip it. Some animal rights activists object to horse racers using whips. You can also use this verb to mean "defeat by a lot," like when your basketball team whips the opposing team. A chef whips cream by whisking or mixing it until it's airy and frothy. If your teacher says he's going to "crack the whip," he means he's planning to use his authority to make the class work harder. And, fittingly, a political whip is someone who enforces discipline among party members.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

whip whips whipped whipt whipping

Meta has been marketing smart glasses as a way to listen to audio, take phone calls, capture video and talk to its AI assistant without having to whip out a smartphone.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

And peppered throughout the museum and its park and gardens are brand-new life-size bronze renditions: Rockwell, Rosie the Riveter, Yoda and Indiana Jones, whip at the ready.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

Another pressure putt from the pumped-up Ciganda on the 14th gave them a two-hole lead, the Spaniard slapping her chest to whip up the boisterous Dutch crowd.

From Barron's ● Sep. 12, 2026

"I've asked the chief whip to speak to Karl and, sort of, agree a process that can be taken forward," he told reporters.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

“Ask him to whip up a new solution?”

From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein

Not having affairs, not engaging in departmental spats, not, à la Prof. Indiana Jones, cracking whips and cracking wise.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026

One woman whips out a flute to play a song from KPop Demon Hunters.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

Like many a cat lover, Baseman whips out a phone to share videos of his beloved feline muses.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026

Scores of bare-chested flagellants with covered faces walked barefoot through the dusty streets of Pampanga province's San Fernando as they flogged their backs with bamboo whips in scorching heat.

From Barron's ● Apr. 3, 2026

She whips around, squinting as she peers into the audience.

From "Shouting at the Rain" by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

Over the last week, dust and sand whipped up by winds in the Sahara have been transported thousands of miles from Africa.

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026

While holding Gnocchi, a large street cleaning truck whipped down the street and startled him into clawing away.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

Gleni whipped toward him: “Come back, come back,” he said.

From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026

Available starting at 8 p.m., the menu begins with a pillowy confection that straddles the line between sweet and savory: a Japanese milk-bread sandwich layered with duck liver, raspberry, blackberry and whipped cream.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

Nim’s hair whipped like long, wet ropes, and she gulped salt water with every breath, but she clung as tight as she ever could.

From "Nim’s Island" by Wendy Orr

Syllabub 336 ——, everlasting ib. ——, solid ib. ——, whipt ib.

From The Lady's Own Cookery Book, and New Dinner-Table Directory; In Which will Be Found a Large Collection of Original Receipts. 3rd ed. by Lady Charlotte Campbell Bury

He mounted her on a bonny bay horse, Himsel’ on the silver grey; He drew his bonnet out o’er his een, He whipt and rade away.

From Ballads of Mystery and Miracle and Fyttes of Mirth Popular Ballads of the Olden Times - Second Series by Frank Sidgwick

If you will hang me for it, you may; but I had rather it would please you I might be whipt.

From Measure for Measure The Works of William Shakespeare [Cambridge Edition] [9 vols.] by John Glover

So said, Snatching the hood, he whipt it from his head And lookt and knew the Ithacan.

From Helen Redeemed and Other Poems by Maurice Henry Hewlett

This is the period when the heart, the lungs, and the brain are being transformed, modified, whipt into shape for the performance of the duties of adulthood.

From On the Firing Line in Education by Adoniram Judson Ladd

“Those trucks were really whipping around. We dressed a couple of stunt Kennedys who were placed around them to make sure they were safe.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

I considered whipping the miso into cold butter, making a compound butter to scrape over oven-hot sourdough before adding tomato slices and crystalline hunks of salt.

From Salon ● Aug. 1, 2026

Near the French surfing hotspot of Le Grand Crohot, an AFP reporter saw violent gusts of wind whipping up flames as firefighting aircraft attempted to extinguish a rekindled fire.

From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026

Lawmakers refused to give up their whipping boy and ignored the committee’s recommendations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

It gave a sudden, deliberate flick, whipping back Clare’s hood.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

Related Words

• pull
• rush
• shoot
• snatch
• tear
• whirl
• whisk