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whip

[hwip, wip]
verb (used with object), whipped or whipt, whip·ping.
  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.
  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.
  7. to hoist or haul by means of a 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.
  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), whipped or whipt, whip·ping.
  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.
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noun
  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.
  2. a whipping or lashing stroke or motion.
  3. a utensil for whipping; whisk.
  4. a dish made of cream or egg whites whipped to a froth with flavoring, often with fruit pulp or the like: prune 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.Compare gun tackle.
  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. a person who uses a whip as part of his or her work, as a driver of horses or a coachman.
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Verb Phrases
  1. whip in, Hunting. to prevent from wandering, as hounds.
  2. whip off, Informal. to write hurriedly: He whipped off three new songs last night.
  3. whip up, Informal.
    1. to plan or assemble quickly: to whip up a delicious dinner.
    2. to incite; arouse; stir: to whip up the mob.
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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
Related formswhip·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

Synonyms for whip

1. scourge, flagellate, switch, punish, chastise. 6. beat, conquer. 8, 10. whisk. 17. switch.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for whips

cane, beat, thrash, bash, spank, lash, rout, trounce, overpower, blast, shoot, pull, rush, whisk, whirl, tear, snatch, blend, bat, prod

Examples from the Web for whips

Contemporary Examples of whips

Historical Examples of whips

  • Before him went runners with whips and rods to clear the way.

  • You will have to fly like curs before the whips of your own men.

  • Whips of money at him, Liza—whips of it—millions, they're saying.

    The Manxman

    Hall Caine

  • The letters, the messages, the presents, these had been the whips and scorpions in his hand.

    The Manxman

    Hall Caine

  • And we'll see which set of whips are to have the honour of offering me anything.

    The Market-Place

    Harold Frederic

British Dictionary definitions for whips

whips

pl n
  1. (often foll by of) Australian informal a large quantityI've got whips of cash at the moment
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whip

verb whips, whipping or whipped
  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 motionto whip out a gun
  4. (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
  5. to strike or be struck as if by whippingthe 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. (tr) informal to overcome or outdoI 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. (tr) informal to stealhe 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. (in a legislative body)
    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. a fair crack of the whip informal a fair chance or opportunity
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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 whips

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.

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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.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
whips in Culture

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.

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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 whips

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