sup

USSUP/sʌp/

Noun pluralsups

9 meanings of sup

1
interjectionslang
A casual way to say hello or to ask how someone is doing.
Like saying "hi" to a friend you pass on the street.
Sup, I haven't seen you around here in ages!
Sup? You look like something's bothering you.
Similarwassup
Note
2
verbintransitive
To eat the evening meal.
Like sitting down for dinner at the end of the day.
They sup at six o'clock every evening without fail.
We supped together every night that summer.
Similardine, eat
Note
3
verbtransitive
To take in a little food or drink slowly, often with a spoon.
Like drinking soup one small spoonful at a time.
I like to sup my tea slowly while it cools.
She supped the warm soup one spoonful at a time.
Similarsip, drink
Note
4
nouncountable or uncountable
A small amount of food or drink taken in one sip.
Like the little bit of drink you take in one swallow.
She took a sup of water before she began to speak.
There was only a sup of milk left in the jug.
Similarsip, drop, mouthful
Note
5
nouncolloquialcountable
A superintendent: the person in charge of a place or a group of workers.
The sup wants everyone in the briefing room by nine.
Ask the sup if we can leave early today.
Similarsuperintendent, boss
6
nouncolloquialcountable
A product like protein powder or vitamins taken to improve health or fitness.
Like the extra vitamins you add on top of your normal meals.
He takes a sup before every workout.
These sups are supposed to help build muscle faster.
Similarsupplement
Note
7
nouncountable
The smallest number that is bigger than or equal to every number in a group.
Like a ceiling set as low as it can go while still staying above everything in the room.
The sup of the interval turns out to be the number two.
We found the sup by looking at the largest values in the set.
Similarsupremum
Oppositeinfimum
Note
8
nouncountable
At Cambridge University, a small teaching session with a tutor.
Like a tiny class with just you and your teacher.
I have a sup with my tutor at noon today.
She prepared an essay for her weekly sup.
Similarsupervision, tutorial
Note
9
adjective
Describing the heavy partner particle that some theories pair with the up quark.
Like a mirror-image twin of one of the tiniest building blocks of matter.
Researchers looked for the sup squark in the collider data.
No sup particle has been spotted in any experiment so far.
Oppositesdown
Note

Practice

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Origins

Meanings 3–4

The verb comes from Old English sūpan, meaning to sip or drink. The noun comes from the verb.

Meaning 2

From Middle English soupen and Anglo-Norman super, related to soup.

Meaning 1

A shortened, clipped form of "what's up?"

Meaning 9

From s- plus up.

Meaning 5

From the first syllable of "superintendent."

Meaning 7

From the first syllable of "superior."

Meaning 6

A shortened form of "supplement."

Meaning 8

From the first syllable of "supervision."