tip

Meanings

Noun

  • The extreme end of something, especially when pointed; e.g. the sharp end of a pencil.
  • A piece of metal, fabric or other material used to cover the top of something for protection, utility or decoration.
  • The end of a bow of a stringed instrument that is not held.
  • A small piece of meat.
  • A piece of stiffened lining pasted on the inside of a hat crown.
  • A thin, boarded brush made of camel's hair, used by gilders in lifting gold leaf.
  • Synonym of eartip
  • The knocking over of a skittle.
  • An act of tipping up or tilting.
  • An area or a place for dumping something, such as rubbish or refuse, as from a mine; a heap (see tipple); a dump.
  • Rubbish thrown from a quarry.
  • A recycling centre.
  • A very untidy place.
  • The act of deflecting with one's fingers, especially the fingertips
  • A tram for expeditiously transferring coal.
  • A light blow or tap.
  • A gratuity; a small amount of money left for a bartender, waiter, taxi driver or other servant as a token of appreciation.
  • A piece of private or secret information, especially imparted by someone with expert knowledge about sporting odds, business performance etc.
  • A piece of advice.
  • A kick or phase; one's current habits or behaviour.
  • A particular arena or sphere of interest; a front.

Verb

  • To provide with a tip; to cover the tip of.
  • (To cause) to become knocked over, fall down or overturn.
  • (To cause) to be, or come to be, in a tilted or sloping position; (to cause) to become unbalanced.
  • To cause the contents of a container to be emptied out by tilting it.
  • To drink.
  • To dump (refuse).
  • To pour a libation or a liquid from a container, particularly from a forty of malt liquor.
  • To deflect with one′s fingers, especially one′s fingertips.
  • To hit quickly and lightly; to tap.
  • To give a small gratuity to, especially to an employee of someone who provides a service.
  • To give, pass.
  • To give a piece of private information to; to inform (someone) of a clue, secret knowledge, etc.

Related

Similar words

Narrower meaning words

Origin

  • From Middle English tip, typ, tippe, probably from an unrecorded Old English *typpa, *typpe, from Proto-Germanic *tuppijô, *tuppijǭ, diminutive of *tuppaz.
  • Cognate with Saterland Frisian Tip ("tip"), West Frisian tippe, tip, Dutch tip ("tip"), German Low German Tip, Tippel, 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, Albanian thep ("tip, point").
  • Late Middle English tippen, possibly from North Germanic/Scandinavian (compare Swedish tippa), or a special use of Etymology 1.
  • Of uncertain origin, perhaps related to tip#Etymology 1 and cognate with Dutch tippen, German tippen, Swedish tippa.
  • Originally thieves' slang, of uncertain origin; according to the OED, probably related to tip#Etymology 1.
  • Probably from tip or tip, or a combination of the two.

Modern English dictionary

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