whip

[ hwip, wip ]

/ ʰwɪp, wɪp /

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

whinner, whinny, whinstone, whiny, whio, whip, whip graft, whip hand, whip in, whip roll, whip scorpion

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.

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 whips

Sticks and stones may break my bones / but chains and whips excite me.
Whip It: Secrets of a Dominatrix|Justin Jones|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Inside a box I could see a pile of whips, chains, ball gags, and hoods.
Whip It: Secrets of a Dominatrix|Justin Jones|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He whips out his Blackberry, recording a video selfie against the neighborhood backdrop.
He Bullies Kids and Calls It News|Brandy Zadrozny|June 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After a few minutes of small talk, Thierry whips out a few glasses and bottles.
Look Out! There’s a Craft-Beer Revolution Taking Over France|Jeff Campagna|December 2, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Get out the whips and paddles; we sense some behind-the-scenes drama.
Every Juicy Thing We Know About the ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ Movie|Amy Zimmerman|November 15, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In an instant the whips ceased to fall and the man with the dead soul saw all the Earth before him—and understood.
The City and the World and Other Stories|Francis Clement Kelley
A harsh voice or two and the sound of whips presently silenced the barking dogs, and all was still again.
The Golden Dog|William Kirby
Then we heard a crackling of whips and a rumbling of wheels.
British Regiments at the Front, The Story of Their Battle Honours|Reginald Hodder
Men tugged constantly at the spokes, and the steaming mules reared and plunged under the angry crack of whips.
The Missourian|Eugene P. (Eugene Percy) Lyle
As the gig came out close at the wheels of the wagon, the two whips interchanged glances, as much as to say, "Here's at you!"
The International Monthly, Volume 4, No. 1, August, 1851|Various

British Dictionary definitions for whips (1 of 2)

whips

/ (wɪps) /

pl n

(often foll by of) Australian informal a large quantityI've got whips of cash at the moment

British Dictionary definitions for whips (2 of 2)

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

See whipper-in

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 whips (1 of 2)

whip

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.

Word Origin and History for whips (1 of 2)

whip

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.

Culture definitions for whips

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.

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

whip

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

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

noun

Verb Phrases

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of whip

Examples from the Web for whips

British Dictionary definitions for whips (1 of 2)

whips

pl n

British Dictionary definitions for whips (2 of 2)

whip

verb whips, whipping or whipped

noun

Word Origin for whip

Word Origin and History for whips (1 of 2)

whip

Word Origin and History for whips (1 of 2)

whip

Culture definitions for whips

whip

Idioms and Phrases with whips

whip