dip

/dɪp/

/dɪp/

Other forms: dipped; dipping; dips

When you dip something, you plunge it quickly into a liquid or soft substance. You might dip your toe into a swimming pool to check the water temperature.

When you finger paint, you dip a fingertip into a puddle of paint, and when you eat a snack you might dip tortilla chips into salsa. You can also say that a boat bobbing on the ocean dips, or that a bird dropping lower in the sky dips down. A dip can be a quick swim, a delicious sauce meant for dunking other foods in, or a downward slope. The Old English root, dyppan, means "immerse" or "baptize."

Definitions of dip

1. verb

   immerse briefly into a liquid so as to wet, coat, or saturate
   “dip the garment into the cleaning solution”

   “dip the brush into the paint”

   synonyms: douse, dunk, plunge, souse

   types:

   sop

   dip into liquid

   douse, duck

   dip into a liquid

   dabble

   dip a foot or hand briefly into a liquid

   type of:

   immerse, plunge

   thrust or throw into
2. verb

   dip into a liquid
   “He dipped into the pool”

   synonyms: douse, duck

   type of:

   douse, dunk, plunge, souse

   immerse briefly into a liquid so as to wet, coat, or saturate
3. verb

   dip into a liquid while eating
   synonyms: dunk

   type of:

   eat

   take in solid food
4. verb

   immerse in a disinfectant solution
   “dip the sheep”

   type of:

   immerse, plunge

   thrust or throw into
5. verb

   stain an object by immersing it in a liquid
   type of:

   stain

   color with a liquid dye or tint
6. verb

   place (candle wicks) into hot, liquid wax
   type of:

   create from raw material, create from raw stuff

   make from scratch
7. noun

   a brief immersion
   type of:

   immersion, submergence, submerging, submersion

   sinking until covered completely with water
8. noun

   a brief swim in water
   synonyms: plunge

   type of:

   swim, swimming

   the act of swimming
9. noun

   tasty mixture or liquid into which bite-sized foods are dipped
   types:

   bean dip

   a dip made of cooked beans

   cheese dip

   a dip made of cheeses

   clam dip

   a dip made of clams and soft cream cheese

   guacamole

   a dip made of mashed avocado mixed with chopped onions and other seasonings

   type of:

   condiment

   a preparation (a sauce or relish or spice) to enhance flavor or enjoyment
10. noun

    a candle that is made by repeated dipping in a pool of wax or tallow
    type of:

    candle, taper, wax light

    stick of wax with a wick in the middle
11. verb

    appear to move downward
    “The sun dipped below the horizon”

    synonyms: sink

    types:

    subside

    sink to a lower level or form a depression

    type of:

    decline

    go down
12. verb

    go down momentarily
    “Prices dipped”

    type of:

    decline, go down, wane

    grow smaller
13. verb

    plunge (one's hand or a receptacle) into a container
    “He dipped into his pocket”

    type of:

    immerse, plunge

    thrust or throw into
14. verb

    scoop up by plunging one's hand or a ladle below the surface
    “dip water out of a container”

    type of:

    lift out, scoop, scoop out, scoop up, take up

    take out or up with or as if with a scoop
15. verb

    lower briefly
    “She dipped her knee”

    type of:

    bring down, get down, let down, lower, take down

    move something or somebody to a lower position
16. verb

    switch (a car's headlights) from a higher to a lower beam
    synonyms: dim

    type of:

    change intensity

    increase or decrease in intensity
17. verb

    slope downwards
    “Our property dips towards the river”

    type of:

    incline, pitch, slope

    be at an angle
18. noun

    a depression in an otherwise level surface
    “there was a dip in the road”

    type of:

    depression, impression, imprint

    a concavity in a surface produced by pressing
19. noun

    a sudden sharp decrease in some quantity
    “a dip in prices”

    synonyms: drop, fall, free fall

    types:

    correction

    a drop in stock market activity or stock prices following a period of increases

    voltage drop

    a decrease in voltage along a conductor through which current is flowing

    type of:

    decrease, decrement

    the amount by which something decreases
20. noun

    a gymnastic exercise on the parallel bars in which the body is lowered and raised by bending and straightening the arms
    type of:

    gymnastic exercise

    (gymnastics) an exercise designed to develop and display strength and agility and balance (usually performed with or on some gymnastic apparatus)
21. noun

    a thief who steals from the pockets or purses of others in public places
    synonyms: cutpurse, pickpocket

    type of:

    stealer, thief

    a criminal who takes property belonging to someone else with the intention of keeping it or selling it
22. verb

    take a small amount from
    “I had to dip into my savings to buy him this present”

    type of:

    draw, draw off, take out, withdraw

    remove (a commodity) from (a supply source)
23. noun

    (physics) the angle that a magnetic needle makes with the plane of the horizon
    synonyms: angle of dip, inclination, magnetic dip, magnetic inclination

    type of:

    angle

    the space between two lines or planes that intersect; the inclination of one line to another; measured in degrees or radians