Did you know?

Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word

dip

 - definition
Close

What are red words?

90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing. These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are more frequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.

Close

Thesaurus

The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary entries. Click on the T button in an entry to review the synonyms and related words for that meaning.

more
verb American English pronunciation: dip /dɪp/ 
Word Forms
Close
present tense
I/you/we/theydip
he/she/itdips
present participledipping
past tensedipped
past participledipped
  1. 1
    [transitive] to lower something into a liquid for a moment before taking it back out again
    dip something in/into something:

    She dipped her handkerchief in the water and gently began to wipe the dirt from his face.

  2. 2
    [intransitive/transitive] to move, or to move something downward

    Joe dipped his head toward her for a quick kiss.

    The bright sun dipped low over the city.

    The road dipped and we picked up speed.

  3. 3
    [intransitive] to become less

    Public support for the project has dipped sharply.

    Our profits dipped 30%.

phrasal verbs

vocal fry

a speech habit in which a speaker lowers their voice at the end of a sentence

BuzzWord Article

Word of the Day Word of the Day

watchword

a word or phrase that expresses someone’s attitude or intention

Open Dictionary

conflict mineral

a mineral which is mined in a place where there is armed conflict, and sold to help pay for weapons

add a word

Blog

A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.

global English and language change from our blog