dip

USDIP/dɪp/

Pluraldips

42 meanings of dip

1
nouncountable or uncountable
A thick, tasty sauce that you scoop up with chips, bread, or vegetables.
Like the ketchup you dunk your fries into.
She made a creamy dip for the party guests.
We served warm bread with a spicy tomato dip.
Similarsauce
2
nouncountable or uncountable
A quick dunk of something into a liquid and back out again.
She gave the brush a quick dip in the paint.
One dip in the cold water rinsed the sand off his feet.
Similardunk, immersion, plunge
Note
3
verbtransitive
To put something down into a liquid for a short time.
Please dip the bread in the sauce before you eat it.
He dipped the cloth in warm water and wiped the table.
Similardunk, immerse, plunge, submerge
4
verbintransitive
To go down by a small amount.
Prices dip a little when stores have too much stock.
The temperature dipped below freezing last night.
Similarfall, drop, slip, decline, ease
Oppositerise, climb, increase
5
nouncountable or uncountable
A low part in a road or in the ground where the surface drops down.
The car bounced as it hit a dip in the road.
A sudden dip in the trail caught the hikers by surprise.
Similarhollow, depression, descent, slope
Oppositerise
Note
6
nouncountable or uncountable
A short swim to cool off or feel fresh.
We went for a dip in the lake before breakfast.
A morning dip in the sea always wakes her up.
Similarswim, plunge
7
nouncolloquialcountable or uncountable
A drop in the price of something you can buy and sell, seen as a good time to buy.
Like buying a toy when it's on sale, hoping it's worth more later.
Many people bought shares during the dip last month.
She waited for a dip before putting money into the fund.
Similardrop, fall, decline, slump, pullback
Oppositerise, rally, spike
Note
8
verbintransitive
To sink or go down into a liquid.
The duck dipped under the water and came up again.
Swimmers dip below the surface to cool off.
Similarsink, dive, plunge, submerge, duck
Oppositesurface, rise, emerge
Note
9
nouncountable or uncountable
A dance move where one partner leans far to the side while the other holds them up.
They ended the tango with a dramatic dip.
He guided her into a graceful dip on the last beat.
Note
10
verbcolloquialintransitive
To leave a place, often quickly or suddenly.
Let's dip before the rain starts.
He dipped as soon as the speeches began.
Similarleave, split, bounce, bail, scram
Oppositestay, arrive
Note

11
noununcountable
Tobacco ground up very fine, held between the lip and gum.
He kept a tin of dip in his back pocket.
She could see the dip tucked under his lower lip.
Similarsnuff
Note
12
nouncountable or uncountable
An exercise on bars where you hold yourself up, bend your arms to lower down, then push back up.
He added one more dip before resting between sets.
She can barely manage a single dip yet.
Note
13
nouncountable or uncountable
A downward slope or angle below a flat line.
The road follows the gentle dip of the hillside.
We measured the dip of the slope with a simple tool.
Similarslope, slant, incline, tilt, pitch
14
verbtransitive
To lower a person fully into water as part of a baptism.
The minister dipped each new believer in the river.
Some churches dip converts beneath the water three times.
Similarimmerse, baptize, submerge
Note
15
verbtransitive
To make a bow or curtsey by leaning the body downward.
She dipped a quick curtsey to the visiting queen.
Dancers dip a low bow when the music ends.
Similardrop, bob
16
verbtransitive
To point a vehicle's bright lights downward so they do not dazzle other drivers.
Like tilting a flashlight down so its light doesn't shine in someone's eyes.
Remember to dip your headlights when a car comes toward you.
She dipped the beams as the truck approached.
Similardim, lower
Note
17
verbtransitive
To gently lower your dance partner backward while keeping a firm hold of them.
Like leaning a friend back over your arm and holding them safely.
At the end of the song, he dipped his partner low.
Dip her slowly so the move looks smooth.
Note
18
verbtransitive
To quickly bend your knees to lower your body, then rise again, often in time with music.
Like quickly bending your knees to bob down and up with the music.
Dip your body a little on every beat as you sing.
The dancers dipped their bodies and sprang back up.
Similarlower, bob
19
verbtransitive
To scoop out some liquid using a cup, spoon, or ladle.
Like scooping water out of a tub with a cup.
She dipped some soup out of the pot.
Dip a little water from the bucket for the dog.
Similarladle, scoop, bail, spoon
Note
20
verbintransitive
To put a cup or ladle into a liquid and lift some out.
Like reaching a spoon into a jar to take some out.
He dipped into the bucket of fresh water.
Dip into the jar and see how thick the honey is.
21
verbtransitive
To make something wet, as though it had been put into a liquid.
A cold shuddering dew / Dips me all o'er.
1646, John Milton, “Comus”Here, dips means makes wet all over, as if put into water.
Similarwet, moisten, dampen, soak
Oppositedry
22
verbintransitive
To throw yourself fully into some matter or activity.
Like throwing yourself fully into a game instead of watching from the side.
After the move, they dipped into community life with great energy.
Young reformers dip into causes with all their heart.
Similarplunge, dive, delve
Note
23
verbintransitive
To slope or bend downward below a level line.
Like the way a road slopes down into a low spot.
The road dips just past the bridge.
Hills dip toward the valley on the far side.
Similarslope, descend, drop, fall, slant
Oppositerise, ascend, climb
Note
24
verbtransitive
To check how much oil is in an engine by using a thin measuring stick.
Always dip the oil before you start a long drive.
He dipped the oil at the gas station and added a little more.
Similarcheck
25
nouncountable or uncountable
The angle at which a layer of rock or a crack tilts down from a level line.
Like measuring how steeply a ramp tilts compared to flat ground.
The dip of the rock layer told them which way it sloped.
They measured the dip before drilling.
Similarinclination, slope, tilt
Note
26
verbtransitive
To put farm animals into a special liquid that kills pests on their skin.
Like giving animals a bath that washes the bugs off them.
Each spring the farmer dips his sheep to control ticks.
Dip the cattle before moving them to new pasture.
Note
27
nouncolloquialcountable
A silly or foolish person.
Don't be such a dip. Read the instructions first.
He felt like a dip after locking his keys in the car.
Similardope, idiot, fool, dimwit, nitwit
Note
28
nouncountable or uncountable
A tank or deep trough where farm animals are washed in chemicals to kill pests.
Like a big bath that animals walk through to get cleaned of pests.
The farmer led the sheep toward the dip at the field's edge.
They built a new dip to treat the cattle.
29
nouncountable or uncountable
A long stick used to measure how much oil or liquid is in a tank.
Like a ruler you push into a tank to see how full it is.
He pulled out the dip and wiped it clean.
Check the level on the dip before you start the engine.
Similardipstick
30
nouncountable or uncountable
A sudden drop downward followed by a climb back up.
Like a roller coaster that drops down fast and then rises back up.
The plane gave a quick dip before climbing again.
We felt a sharp dip as the road fell away.
Similardrop, plunge, lurch
Note
31
noundated
Someone who steals from people's pockets.
The Moocher was a "dip" in a dilettante sort of way, and his particular graft was boarding street-cars with his papers and grabbing women's pocket-books.
1906, Fred L. Boalt, "The Snitcher"
32
nounarchaic
A candle made by putting a string into hot wax many times.
by the feeble light of the dip, he beheld the pale, haggard face of Smallbones
1837, Frederick Marryat, Snarleyyow
33
noun
Sticky sap taken from cuts in pine trees.
34
nouncolloquial
Not getting to see a rare bird you went looking for.
35
noundialectalUK
Bread cooked in hot fat in a pan.
36
verb
To lower a flag a little, or tip it forward, to salute.
37
verb
To put a bit of tobacco in your mouth by your gum.
38
verb
To use something you own to promise you will pay back money.
39
verbcolloquial
To not see a rare bird you went to find.
40
noun
Short for device-independent pixel, a unit for measuring sizes on screens.
41
nouncolloquial
A diplomat, someone who speaks for their country in another country.
42
nouncolloquial
A diaper for a baby.

Practice

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Origins

Meanings 1–26, 28–30

From Old English dyppan, which goes back to older Germanic words meaning "to dip." It is related to the word deep.

Meaning 27

Made from the word dippy.