tip definition

English tip definition

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /tɪp/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪp

Etymology 1

From Middle English tip, typ, tippe, probably from an unrecorded Old English *typpa, *typpe, from Proto-Germanic *tuppijô, *tuppijǭ (“tip”), diminutive of *tuppaz (“top”).

Noun

tip (plural tips)

1. The extreme end of something, especially when pointed; e.g. the sharp end of a pencil. [from 15th c.]
   • 1848, Anne Bronte, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall:

     When he woke up, about half an hour after, he called it to him again, but Dash only looked sheepish and wagged the tip of his tail.

   • 2013 June 8, “The new masters and commanders”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8839, page 52:

     From the ground, Colombo’s port does not look like much. […]   But viewed from high up in one of the growing number of skyscrapers in Sri Lanka’s capital, it is clear that something extraordinary is happening: China is creating a shipping hub just 200 miles from India’s southern tip.

   the tip of one's nose

2. A piece of metal, fabric or other material used to cover the top of something for protection, utility or decoration. [from 15th c.]

   a tip for an umbrella, a shoe, a gas burner, etc.

3. (music) The end of a bow of a stringed instrument that is not held.
4. (chiefly in the plural) A small piece of meat.

   chicken tips over rice, pork tips, marinated alligator tips

   • 1998, Alan Morris, Between Earth and Sky (Guardians of the North book 4; →ISBN:

     He dutifully speared a beef tip and chewed it with false gusto.

5. A piece of stiffened lining pasted on the inside of a hat crown.
6. A thin, boarded brush made of camel's hair, used by gilders in lifting gold leaf.
7. Synonym of eartip (“part of earbuds”)

Synonyms

• (extreme end of something): extremity

Hyponyms

• (extreme end of something): tooltip

Translations

Verb

tip (third-person singular simple present tips, present participle tipping, simple past and past participle tipped)

1. (transitive) To provide with a tip; to cover the tip of. [from 15th c.]
   • 1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “Much Adoe about Nothing”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act V, (please specify the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals)]:

     I thinke he thinkes vpon the sauage bull: / Tush, feare not man, wee'll tip thy hornes with gold, / And all Europa shall reioyce at thee [...].

   • 1662, [Samuel Butler], “[The First Part of Hudibras]”, in Hudibras. The First and Second Parts. […], London: […] John Martyn and Henry Herringman, […], published 1678, OCLC 890163163; republished in A[lfred] R[ayney] Waller, editor, Hudibras: Written in the Time of the Late Wars, Cambridge: University Press, 1905, OCLC 963614346, canto I:

     truncheon tipped with iron head

   • 1726, James Thomson, “Winter”, in The Seasons, London: […] A[ndrew] Millar, and sold by Thomas Cadell, […], published 1768, OCLC 642619686:

     The furry nations harbour-tipt with jet, / Fair ermines spotless as the snows they press.

   • 1887, H. Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure‎^[1]:

     It was on the break - the moon shone on its crest and tipped its foam with light.

Derived terms

Etymology 2

Late Middle English tippen, possibly from North Germanic/Scandinavian (compare Swedish tippa (“to topple over”)), or a special use of Etymology 1.

Verb

tip (third-person singular simple present tips, present participle tipping, simple past and past participle tipped)

1. (ergative) (To cause) to become knocked over, fall down or overturn. [(transitive) From early 14th c.] [(intransitive) From earlier 16th c.]
2. (ergative) (To cause) to be, or come to be, in a tilted or sloping position; (to cause) to become unbalanced. [from 17th c.]
   • 1851 November 14, Herman Melville, Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, OCLC 57395299:

     the brief suspended agony of the boat, as it would tip for an instant on the knife-like edge of the sharper waves, that almost seemed threatening to cut it in two […]

   • 2019, Lawreniuk, Sabrina, “‘Hun Sen Won’t Die, Workers Will Die’: The Geopolitics of Labour in the Cambodian Crackdown”, in Dog Days: Made in China Yearbook 2018‎^[2], ANU Press, page 217b:

     There is little chance that the EU’s watchdogs have, until now, simply missed the evidence of a deeper malaise. The red flags signalling a democratic deficit have always been prominent: from the long-standing harassment, detention, and assassination of peaceful human rights defenders like Chea Vichea, Chut Wutty, and Tep Vanny, to ratcheting up efforts to deter civil society organisation through dubious, hostile legislation. More likely, the trade-offs between popular power and stability have been weighed by the EU and accepted, where these have tipped in its favour—in this case, shoring up a regional ally and trading partner, as well as delivering rapid rates of economic growth that have won Cambodia middle-income status, thus serving up a ready exemplar of neoliberal development logic.

3. To cause the contents of a container to be emptied out by tilting it.
   • 1941 June, “Notes and News: The Derelict Glyn Valley Tramway”, in Railway Magazine, page 278:

     The workshop with its smithy is still intact, also the loading stage where the narrow-gauge wagons tipped their contents into those of the G.W.R.

4. (transitive, slang, dated) To drink. [from 18th c.]
5. (transitive) To dump (refuse). [from 19th c.]
6. (US, transitive) To pour a libation or a liquid from a container, particularly from a forty of malt liquor. [from 20th c.]
   • 1993, DRS, “Gangsta Lean (This Is For My Homies)”:

     I tip my 40 to your memory.

7. (transitive) To deflect with one′s fingers, especially one′s fingertips.
   • 2011 September 28, Jon Smith, “Valencia 1 - 1 Chelsea”, in BBC Sport‎^[3]:

     Lampard was replaced by Kalou but the substitute immediately gave the ball to Jonas, whose 25-yard curler was tipped wide by Cech.

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

tip (plural tips)

1. (skittles, obsolete) The knocking over of a skittle. [from 17th c.]
2. An act of tipping up or tilting. [from 19th c.]
3. (UK, Australia, New Zealand) An area or a place for dumping something, such as rubbish or refuse, as from a mine; a heap (see tipple); a dump. [from 19th c.]
   • 1972 May 18, Jon Tinker, Must we waste rubbish?, New Scientist, page 389,

     As the tip slowly squashes under its own weight, bacteria rot away the organic matter, mainly anaerobically with the generation of methane.

   • 2009, Donna Kelly, 'Don't dump on Hepburn's top tip', The Hepburn Advocate, Fairfax Digital

     When I was a kid I used to love going to the tip.

   • 2009, Rother District Council, Rother District Council Website

     There are two rubbish tips in Rother.

   • 2009, Beck Vass, 'Computer collectibles saved from the tip' The New Zealand Herald, Technology section, APN Holdings NZ Ltd

     Computer collectibles saved from the tip

4. (UK, Australia, New Zealand) Rubbish thrown from a quarry.
5. (UK, Australia, New Zealand, by extension) A recycling centre.
6. (colloquial) A very untidy place. [from 20th c.]
7. The act of deflecting with one's fingers, especially the fingertips
   • 2011 October 1, Phil McNulty, “Everton 0 - 2 Liverpool”, in BBC Sport‎^[4]:

     As a frenetic opening continued, Cahill - whose robust approach had already prompted Jamie Carragher to register his displeasure to Atkinson - rose above the Liverpool defence to force keeper Pepe Reina into an athletic tip over the top.

8. A tram for expeditiously transferring coal.

Translations

Etymology 3

Of uncertain origin, perhaps related to Etymology 1 and cognate with Dutch tippen, German tippen, Swedish tippa.

Verb

tip (third-person singular simple present tips, present participle tipping, simple past and past participle tipped)

1. (now rare) To hit quickly and lightly; to tap. [from late 15th c.]
   • 1708, John Partridge, Squire Bickerstaff Detected

     A third rogue tips me by the elbow.

Noun

tip (plural tips)

1. (now rare) A light blow or tap. [from late 16th c.]

Etymology 4

Originally thieves' slang, of uncertain origin; according to the OED, probably related to sense 1.

Verb

tip (third-person singular simple present tips, present participle tipping, simple past and past participle tipped)

1. To give a small gratuity to, especially to an employee of someone who provides a service. [from early 18th c.]
   • 1964, Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast, p. 156:

     “Did you tip him enough to do any good? They only work for tips.”
     “I didn’t know that,” I said. “I thought the hotel paid them something on the side.”
     “I mean they will only do something for you for a substantial tip. Most of them are rotten clean through.”

   You should always tip your waiter in the United States and most third world countries.

2. (thieves′ slang) To give, pass. [from early 17th c.]

Derived terms

• tipper
• tipping

Translations

Noun

tip (plural tips)

2. A gratuity; a small amount of money left for a bartender, waiter, taxi driver or other servant as a token of appreciation. [from mid-18th c.]
   • 1897, Bram Stoker, Dracula, New York, N.Y.: Modern Library, OCLC 688657546:

     A half crown tip put the deputy's knowledge at my disposal, and I learned that Mr. Bloxam [...] had left for his work at five o'clock that morning.

   • 1964, Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast, p. 156:

     “Did you tip him enough to do any good? They only work for tips.”
     “I didn’t know that,” I said. “I thought the hotel paid them something on the side.”
     “I mean they will only do something for you for a substantial tip. Most of them are rotten clean through.”

   Workers in the American service industry usually depend on tips to even make minimum wage.

Descendants

• → Korean: 팁 (tip)

Translations

Synonyms

• See gratuity

Etymology 5

Probably from to tip (“give, pass”) or to tip (“tap”), or a combination of the two.

Noun

tip (plural tips)

1. A piece of private or secret information, especially imparted by someone with expert knowledge about sporting odds, business performance etc. [from mid-19th c.]
2. A piece of advice.

Synonyms

• hint

Derived terms

Descendants

• German: Tipp

Translations

Verb

tip (third-person singular simple present tips, present participle tipping, simple past and past participle tipped)

1. To give a piece of private information to; to inform (someone) of a clue, secret knowledge, etc. [from late 19th c.]
   • 1987 October 1, Charles W. Murdock, “Heard It Through the Grapevine: The Future of Insider-Trading Laws”, in ABA Journal‎^[5], volume 73, number 12, page 104 of 100–108:

     Dirks was an investment analyst who learned from a former employee of Equity Funding that the company had been fraudulently manufacturing insurance policies. Dirks tipped several institutions which then liquidated $16 million in Equity Funding stock before the fraud was exposed and the bottom fell out of the market. According to the Court, Dirks was a hero for (eventually) exposing the fraud. The SEC's censure of Dirks for tipping inside information was reversed because, the Supreme Court held, the liability of a tippee derives from that of the tipper. If the tipper is without sin, so is the tippee. Here, the employee's purpose in informing Dirks was to expose the fraud, so the tipper breached no duty. Moreover, according to the Court, for there to be a breach of duty, there must be personal benefit (in the form of pecuniary gain or reputational benefit that will translate into future earnings) arising to the tipper from the disclosure.

   • 1996, Donald C. Langevoort, “The Reform of Joint and Several Liability Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Proportionate Liability, Contribution Rights and Settlement Effects”, in The Business Lawyer‎^[6], volume 51, number 4, The American Bar Association, page 1163 of 1157–1175:

     In rare instances, the provision logically could apply to the private right of action given to contemporaneous traders to recover for insider trading (e.g., a case where an insider tipped an associate about some forthcoming corporate event, and the tippee was found liable based on recklessness).

   • 2007, Paul Irvine, Marc Lipson and Andy Puckett, “Tipping”, in The Review of Financial Studies‎^[7], volume 20, number 3, page 755 of 741–768:

     If the institutional trading patterns we observe are a result of tipping, rather than precipitated by some other event, then we should see only a slight increase in the number of institutions active in the market (tipping would precipitate entry by, at most, the few institutions that were tipped). At the same time, given the nature of the reports, we should see an increase in the average buying activity of institutions (we cannot identify the specific institutions that were tipped, so we can only look at averages) and see little change in selling.

Derived terms

• tip off

Translations

Translations

Etymology 6

Noun

tip (plural tips)

1. (African-American Vernacular) A kick or phase; one's current habits or behaviour.
2. (African-American Vernacular) A particular arena or sphere of interest; a front.

References

• For quotations using this term, see Citations:tip.

Further reading

• “tip”, in Collins English Dictionary.
• “tip”, in Merriam–Webster Online Dictionary
• “tip”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “tip” in the Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Anagrams

• ITP, PIT, PTI, TPI, pit, tpi

---

Catalan tip definition

Etymology

Back-formation from tibar.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Central, Valencian) IPA^(key): /ˈtip/
• Rhymes: -ip

Adjective

tip (feminine tipa, masculine plural tips, feminine plural tipes)

1. full, as in sated or satisfied (including to excess)

   Synonyms: sadoll, satisfet

Derived terms

• atipar

Noun

tip m (plural tips)

1. excess (of food or drink)

Further reading

• “tip” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

---

Cebuano tip definition

Etymology 1

Borrowed from English tip.

Noun

tip

1. tip (gratuity)
2. tip; tip-off

Verb

tip

1. to tip (give a small gratuity)
2. to tip off (inform someone confidentially)

Etymology 2

Ellipsis for English tip sheet.

Noun

tip

1. lottery tip sheet

---

Czech tip definition

Etymology

From English tip.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈtɪp]
• Hyphenation: tip
• Rhymes: -ɪp
• Homophone: typ

Noun

tip m inan

1. tip, guess

Declension

Derived terms

• tipnout
• tipovat

Further reading

• tip in Příruční slovník jazyka českého, 1935–1957
• tip in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého, 1960–1971, 1989

---

Dutch tip definition

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tɪp/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: tip
• Rhymes: -ɪp

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch tip, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *tuppijô, *tuppijǭ (“tip”), a diminutive of *tuppaz.

Noun

tip m (plural tippen, diminutive tipje n)

1. tip, extreme end of something

   Synonyms: eind, einde, end, punt, uiteinde

Hyponyms

• piek
• top

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English tip.

Noun

tip m (plural tips, diminutive tipje n)

1. tip, small amount of money left for a waiter, taxi driver, etc. as a token of appreciation

   Synonym: fooi

2. filter, for a joint
3. hint, tip
4. tip, piece of good advice

See also

• hint

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

tip

1. first-person singular present indicative of tippen
2. imperative of tippen

Anagrams

• pit

---

Romanian tip definition

Etymology

From French type, from Latin typus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtip/

Noun

tip m (plural tipi, feminine equivalent tipă)

1. guy

Declension

Noun

tip n (plural tipuri)

1. prototype, model
2. type, style

Declension

Synonyms

• prototip (1)
• fel (2)

---

Sakizaya tip definition

Noun

tip

1. east

---

Serbo-Croatian tip definition

Etymology

From Ancient Greek τύπος (túpos, “mark, impression, type”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tîːp/

Noun

tȋp m (Cyrillic spelling ти̑п)

1. type
2. (colloquial) person (usually male), guy, bloke, dude

Declension

---

Slovene tip definition

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tíːp/

Noun

tȋp m inan

1. type

Inflection

Masculine inan., hard o-stem
nom. sing.	típ
gen. sing.	típa
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	típ	típa	típi
accusative	típ	típa	típe
genitive	típa	típov	típov
dative	típu	típoma	típom
locative	típu	típih	típih
instrumental	típom	típoma	típi

---

Spanish tip definition

Etymology

From English tip.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtip/, [ˈt̪ip]

Noun

tip m (plural tips)

1. tip (advice)

---

Tagalog tip definition

Etymology

Borrowed from English tip.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtip/, [ˈtɪp]

Noun

tip

1. tip; gratuity

   Synonym: pabuya

2. tip-off; piece of secret information

Derived terms

---

Turkish tip definition

Etymology

From French type.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tip/

Noun

tip (definite accusative tipi, plural tipler)

1. type
2. (colloquial) strange or peculiar person

Declension

Inflection
Nominative	tip
Definite accusative	tipi
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	tip	tipler
Definite accusative	tipi	tipleri
Dative	tipe	tiplere
Locative	tipte	tiplerde
Ablative	tipten	tiplerden
Genitive	tipin	tiplerin
Possessive forms Nominative Singular Plural 1st singular tipim tiplerim 2nd singular tipin tiplerin 3rd singular tipi tipleri 1st plural tipimiz tiplerimiz 2nd plural tipiniz tipleriniz 3rd plural tipleri tipleri Definite accusative Singular Plural 1st singular tipimi tiplerimi 2nd singular tipini tiplerini 3rd singular tipini tiplerini 1st plural tipimizi tiplerimizi 2nd plural tipinizi tiplerinizi 3rd plural tiplerini tiplerini Dative Singular Plural 1st singular tipime tiplerime 2nd singular tipine tiplerine 3rd singular tipine tiplerine 1st plural tipimize tiplerimize 2nd plural tipinize tiplerinize 3rd plural tiplerine tiplerine Locative Singular Plural 1st singular tipimde tiplerimde 2nd singular tipinde tiplerinde 3rd singular tipinde tiplerinde 1st plural tipimizde tiplerimizde 2nd plural tipinizde tiplerinizde 3rd plural tiplerinde tiplerinde Ablative Singular Plural 1st singular tipimden tiplerimden 2nd singular tipinden tiplerinden 3rd singular tipinden tiplerinden 1st plural tipimizden tiplerimizden 2nd plural tipinizden tiplerinizden 3rd plural tiplerinden tiplerinden Genitive Singular Plural 1st singular tipimin tiplerimin 2nd singular tipinin tiplerinin 3rd singular tipinin tiplerinin 1st plural tipimizin tiplerimizin 2nd plural tipinizin tiplerinizin 3rd plural tiplerinin tiplerinin