whip

[ wip, hwip ]

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.

   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.

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.

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.

   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. 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: 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. Informal. to write hurriedly:

   He whipped off three new songs last night.

2. Hunting. to prevent from wandering, as hounds.
3. Informal.
   1. to plan or assemble quickly:

      to whip up a delicious dinner.

   2. to incite; arouse; stir:

      to whip up the mob.

whip

/ 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

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
   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 crack of the whip a fair chance or opportunity

whip

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.

Derived Forms

• ˈwhipˌlike, adjective
• ˈwhipper, noun

Other Words From

• whip·like adjective
• whip·per noun
• o·ver·whip verb (used with object) overwhipped overwhipping
• pre·whip verb (used with object) prewhipped prewhipping
• self-whip·per noun
• un·whipt adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of whip¹

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”

Word History and Origins

Origin of whip¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

In addition to the idiom beginning with whip , also see crack the whip ; lick (whip) into shape ; smart as a whip ; upper (whip) hand .

Example Sentences

When the farmers decided the boys were not working hard enough, they “were beaten with whips and tree branches.”

From Fortune

Today, range is king—the contemporary measurement of choice is how far your whip can go on a single charge.

From Ars Technica

Lee was whip smart, could be charming when he wanted to and preferred to operate behind the scenes.

From ProPublica

Her transformation into a soldier — buying a horse and a saddle and a bridle and a whip — takes up half a stanza.

From 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.

From Ozy

Again, I do not know House Majority Whip Scalise or President Obama personally.

From The Daily Beast

Just a week before the start of a new Congress, the new House majority whip is fighting for his political life.

From The Daily Beast

Given how little time they had to whip this project to the finish line, they accomplished a lot.

From The 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.

From The Daily Beast

And then you'd whip out your iPhone and pull up that snarky tweet your friend wrote linking to the E!

From The Daily Beast

Q was a Queen, who wore a silk slip; R was a Robber, and wanted a whip.

From Project Gutenberg

And that was he also in kilts, at the age of five, wearing long curls and holding a whip in his hand.

From Project Gutenberg

As commander-in-chief, Bonaparte, for the time being, held the whip hand and could show his dislike by severe reprimands.

From Project Gutenberg

The memory of the hawk-nosed, steel-eyed officer who rode from Kurnaul to Meerut in twenty-four hours smote him like a whip.

From Project Gutenberg

She gave him a cavalier little nod, touched her horse with the whip, and a moment later was lost in a cloud of dust.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• cane