# dip

Pronunciation: US say "DIP" /dɪp/; UK

## Noun

1. A thick, savory sauce that food is dunked into before eating.
   - Simple: A thick, tasty sauce that you scoop up with chips, bread, or vegetables.
   - _The chef paired the crackers with a roasted garlic dip._
   - _Guests crowded around the table for the spinach dip._
2. A brief plunge of an object into a liquid before lifting it back out.
   - Simple: A quick dunk of something into a liquid and back out again.
   - _A short dip in the dye gave the fabric its deep color._
   - _He cleaned the nib with a single dip in the inkwell._
5. A downward stretch in a road or landscape where the surface drops lower.
   - Simple: A low part in a road or in the ground where the surface drops down.
   - _Rainwater collected in the dip at the bottom of the lane._
   - _From the ridge, the path follows a gentle dip toward the river._
6. A quick swim taken to cool down or refresh oneself.
   - Simple: A short swim to cool off or feel fresh.
   - _After the hike, they cooled off with a dip in the river._
   - _He liked a brisk dip in the pool before starting work._
7. A temporary fall in an asset's price, viewed by investors as a chance to buy at a lower cost. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A drop in the price of something you can buy and sell, seen as a good time to buy.
   - _Seasoned traders often buy the dip rather than waiting for a full recovery._
   - _The stock saw a sharp dip before climbing to new highs._
9. A partner-dance move, often the finale, in which the follower leans far to one side while the leader supports them.
   - Simple: A dance move where one partner leans far to the side while the other holds them up.
   - _The couple finished their routine with a deep dip that drew applause._
   - _A well-timed dip can make the final pose unforgettable._
11. Tobacco ground to a fine texture, used by holding a pinch of it inside the mouth between the lip and gum.
   - Simple: Tobacco ground up very fine, held between the lip and gum.
   - _Several players reached for their dip during the long rain delay._
   - _He spat after settling a pinch of dip behind his lip._
12. A strength exercise on parallel bars in which you lower your body by bending your arms, then push back up by straightening them.
   - Simple: An exercise on bars where you hold yourself up, bend your arms to lower down, then push back up.
   - _He finished the workout with one slow, controlled dip._
   - _Adding dips to her routine quickly built upper-body strength._
13. A downward slant; the angle at which something slopes below a horizontal line.
   - Simple: A downward slope or angle below a flat line.
   - _Surveyors recorded the dip of the land before construction began._
   - _The architect measured the slight dip of the roof before fitting the gutters._
25. The angle from horizontal at which a planar geologic surface, such as a rock bed or fault, slopes downward.
   - Simple: The angle at which a layer of rock or a crack tilts down from a level line.
   - _The geologist recorded the dip of the fault at thirty degrees._
   - _A steep dip in the strata suggested folding under pressure._
27. A foolish or dim-witted person. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A silly or foolish person.
   - _Only a dip would leave the gate wide open like that._
   - _She called her brother a dip for believing the prank._
28. A tank or trough in which cattle or sheep are immersed in a chemical solution to kill parasites.
   - Simple: A tank or deep trough where farm animals are washed in chemicals to kill pests.
   - _The flock was driven through the dip one by one._
   - _Workers drained and refilled the dip between herds._
29. A measuring stick used to check the level of oil or other fluid in a tank or engine.
   - Simple: A long stick used to measure how much oil or liquid is in a tank.
   - _She read the oil mark on the dip and topped it off._
   - _The dip showed the tank was nearly empty._
30. A sudden downward drop followed by a climb back, often to avoid an obstacle or after hitting an air pocket.
   - Simple: A sudden drop downward followed by a climb back up.
   - _The pilot warned of a possible dip as they crossed the mountains._
   - _A sudden dip in the flight startled the passengers._

## Verb

3. To lower something into a liquid, usually for a brief moment.
   - Simple: To put something down into a liquid for a short time.
   - _Dip the cloth in the dye, then lift it out slowly._
   - _She dipped the strawberries in melted chocolate one by one._
4. To decrease slightly, as a value or rate does.
   - Simple: To go down by a small amount.
   - _Sales dipped slightly in the final quarter of the year._
   - _Interest rates dip whenever the central bank eases its policy._
8. To plunge into a liquid or sink down beneath its surface.
   - Simple: To sink or go down into a liquid.
   - _The buoy dipped beneath the waves with each passing swell._
   - _Otters dip below the surface to hunt for fish._
10. To leave or take off, often quickly and without much notice. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To leave a place, often quickly or suddenly.
   - _She dipped right after the meeting wrapped up._
   - _We should dip before the crowd gets too big._
14. To immerse a person in water as part of the baptism rite.
   - Simple: To lower a person fully into water as part of a baptism.
   - _The priest dipped the infant gently into the stone font._
   - _Certain congregations dip believers fully under the water._
15. To make a bow or curtsey as a gesture, with a brief bending or lowering of the body.
   - Simple: To make a bow or curtsey by leaning the body downward.
   - _He dipped a respectful bow before the gathered elders._
   - _Performers dip a graceful curtsey as the curtain falls._
16. To lower the beam of a light, especially a vehicle's headlights, to reduce glare for others.
   - Simple: To point a vehicle's bright lights downward so they do not dazzle other drivers.
   - _Drivers should dip their headlights for oncoming traffic._
   - _He dipped his high beams as he neared the village._
17. To lower one's dance partner backward in a controlled bend, the leader supporting the follower through the move.
   - Simple: To gently lower your dance partner backward while keeping a firm hold of them.
   - _The instructor showed us how to dip a partner without losing balance._
   - _He dipped her at the final beat, and the crowd applauded._
18. To bend the knees and briefly lower the body while keeping it upright, often in rhythm with music or song.
   - Simple: To quickly bend your knees to lower your body, then rise again, often in time with music.
   - _Choir members dip their bodies gently as they sway through the chorus._
   - _She dipped her body on the chorus, rising again with each new line._
19. To take out part of a fluid by plunging a dipper, ladle, or similar container into it and lifting some away.
   - Simple: To scoop out some liquid using a cup, spoon, or ladle.
   - _The cook dipped broth from the simmering kettle._
   - _They dip water out of the rain barrel with an old tin can._
20. To reach into a liquid or soft substance with a ladle or dipper and draw a portion out.
   - Simple: To put a cup or ladle into a liquid and lift some out.
   - _She dipped into the stew to taste it._
   - _Guests dip into the punch bowl with a small ladle._
21. To make something wet or moist, as if by plunging it into a liquid.
   - Simple: To make something wet, as though it had been put into a liquid.
22. To plunge into or become thoroughly engaged in some matter or undertaking.
   - Simple: To throw yourself fully into some matter or activity.
   - _She dipped into the family business and soon ran it entirely._
   - _New volunteers dip into the cause and rarely look back._
23. To incline or slope downward from the level of the horizon.
   - Simple: To slope or bend downward below a level line.
   - _The rock layers dip steeply toward the riverbed._
   - _Beyond the ridge, the land dips into a wide hollow._
24. To check the oil level in an engine with a dipstick.
   - Simple: To check how much oil is in an engine by using a thin measuring stick.
   - _Mechanics dip the oil with the engine off and the car parked on level ground._
   - _She pulled over, dipped the oil, and found it well below the minimum mark._
26. To treat cattle or sheep by immersing them in a chemical solution, usually to kill parasites.
   - Simple: To put farm animals into a special liquid that kills pests on their skin.
   - _Ranchers dip their flocks each season to kill mites and lice._
   - _The vet dipped the whole herd twice that summer._

## Other meanings

- (noun) A thief who steals from people's pockets or bags.
- (noun) A candle made by plunging a wick again and again into melted wax or tallow.
- (noun) The sticky resin collected from cuts made in pine trees, called virgin dip in the first year of tapping and yellow dip after that.
- (noun) A failure to see a rare bird that one has gone out of one's way to find.
- (noun) Bread that has been fried in fat or oil.
- (verb) To lower a flag, especially a national ensign, part of the way down as a salute or a reply to one, or to tilt a carried flag forward.
- (verb) To use snuff by tucking a pinch between the lip and gum or beneath the tongue, so the nicotine passes into the body.
- (verb) To pledge or mortgage property as security for a debt.
- (verb) To fail to see a rare bird that one has traveled in hopes of finding.
- (noun) An abbreviation for device-independent pixel, a unit of length in software layouts that stays the same regardless of screen density.
- (noun) A diplomat, a person who represents a country abroad.
- (noun) A baby's diaper.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–26, 28–30** — From Middle English dippen, from Old English dyppan, going back through Proto-West Germanic *duppjan to Proto-Germanic *dupjaną ("to dip"). It is related to the word deep.
**Meaning 27** — A back-formation from dippy.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/dip (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).