tip
/tɪp/ noun, verb, proper noun
Forms tips tipping tipped
- noun The extreme end of something, especially when pointed; e.g. the sharp end of a pencil. “the tip of one's nose”
- noun A piece of metal, fabric or other material used to cover the top of something for protection, utility or decoration. “a tip for an umbrella, a shoe, a gas burner, etc.”
- noun (music) The end of a bow of a stringed instrument that is not held.
- noun (chiefly in the plural) A small piece of meat. “chicken tips over rice, pork tips, marinated alligator tips”
- noun A piece of stiffened lining pasted on the inside of a hat crown.
- noun A thin, boarded brush made of camel's hair, used by gilders in lifting gold leaf.
- noun Synonym of eartip (“part of earbuds”).
- noun (slang) The glans penis. “my tip sticky rn”
- verb (transitive) To provide with a tip; to cover the tip of.
- verb (ergative) (To cause) to become knocked over, fall down or overturn.
- verb (ergative) (To cause) to be, or come to be, in a tilted or sloping position; (to cause) to become unbalanced.
- verb To cause the contents of a container to be emptied out by tilting it.
- verb (transitive, slang, dated) To drink.
- verb (transitive) To dump (refuse).
- verb (US, transitive) To pour a libation or a liquid from a container, particularly from a forty of malt liquor.
- verb (transitive) To deflect with one′s fingers, especially one′s fingertips.
- noun (skittles, obsolete) The knocking over of a skittle.
- noun An act of tipping up or tilting.
- noun (UK, Ireland, Commonwealth) An area or a place for dumping something, such as rubbish or refuse, as from a mine; a heap (see tipple); a dump.
- noun (UK, Ireland, Commonwealth) Rubbish thrown from a quarry.
Synonyms
extremity termination eartip gratuity hint pourboire baksheesh bakshish bakshis backsheesh lead steer confidential information wind point peak crown crest top summit fee bung topple tumble lean tilt slant angle tiptoe tippytoe
Etymology
From Middle English tip, typ, tippe (“tip”), of obscure and uncertain origin. Perhaps distantly related to top.
Related to Saterland Frisian Tip (“tip”), West Frisian tippe, tip (“tip”), Dutch tip (“tip”), German Low German Tip, Tippel (“tip”), dialectal German Zipf (“tip”) (diminutive Zipfel used in Standard German), Danish tip (“tip”), Swedish tipp (“tip”), Icelandic typpi (“knob, pin, penis”). Compare also Saterland Frisian Timpe (“tip”), West Frisian timpe (“tip”), Old English tæppa (“tap, spigot”), Middle High German züpfel (“pointed end, tip”).
From Late Middle English tippen, possibly from North Germanic/Scandinavian (compare Swedish tippa (“to topple over”)), or a special use of Etymology 1.
Uncertain, perhaps related to Etymology 1 and cognate with Dutch tippen, German tippen, Swedish tippa.
Originally thieves' slang, of uncertain origin; according to the OED, probably related to sense 1.
Webster’s 1913
- noun The point or extremity of anything; a pointed or somewhat sharply rounded end; the end; as, the tip of the finger; the tip of a spear.
- noun An end piece or part; a piece, as a cap, nozzle, ferrule, or point, applied to the extreme end of anything; as, a tip for an umbrella, a shoe, a gas burner, etc.
- verb To form a point upon; to cover the tip, top, or end of; as, to tip anything with gold or silver.
- verb To strike slightly; to tap. A third rogue tips me by the elbow. Swift.
Etymology [Akin to D. & Dan. tip, LG. & Sw. tipp, G. zipfel, and probably to E. tap a plug, a pipe.]
Etymology [Cf. LG. tippen to tap, Sw. tippa, and E. tap to strike gently.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “tip”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details