• enPR: dĭp, IPA: /dɪp/

From Middle English dippen, from Old English dyppan, from Proto-West Germanic *duppjan, from Proto-Germanic *dupjaną; see *daupijaną.

dip

1. A lower section of a road or geological feature.

   There is a dip in the road ahead.

2. Inclination downward; direction below a horizontal line; slope; pitch.
3. The action of dipping or plunging for a moment into a liquid.
   • a. 1786, [Richard Glover], “Book the Seventh”, in [Mrs. Halsey], editor, The Athenaid, a Poem, […], volume I, London: […] T[homas] Cadell, […], published 1787, →OCLC ↗, page 184 ↗, lines 293–296:

     With his precious charge / Embark'd, Sinicus gently ſteers along; / The dip of oars in uniſon awake / Without alarming ſilence; […]

4. A tank or trough where cattle or sheep are immersed in chemicals to kill parasites.
5. A dip stick.
6. A swim, usually a short swim to refresh.

   I’m going for a dip before breakfast.

7. (colloquial, dated) A pickpocket.
   • 1906, Fred L. Boalt, "The Snitcher ↗", McClure's Magazine v.26, p.633

     The Moocher was a "dip" in a dilettante sort of way, and his particular graft was boarding street-cars with his papers and grabbing women's pocket-books.

8. A sauce for dipping.

   This onion dip is just scrumptious.

9. (geology) The angle from horizontal of a planar geologic surface, such as a fault line.
10. (archaic) A dipped candle.
11. (dance) A move in many different styles of partner dances, often performed at the end of a dance, in which the follower leans far to the side and is supported by the leader.
12. (bodybuilding) A gymnastic or bodybuilding exercise on parallel bars in which the performer, resting on his hands, lets his arms bend and his body sink until his chin is level with the bars, and then raises himself by straightening his arms.
13. (turpentine industry) The viscid exudation that is dipped out from incisions in the trees. Virgin dip is the runnings of the first year, yellow dip the runnings of subsequent years.
14. (aeronautics) A sudden drop followed by a climb, usually to avoid obstacles or as the result of getting into an airhole.
15. (uncountable) Finely ground tobacco, consumed by placing a small amount between the lip and gum.

    Synonyms: chewing tobacco, snuff

16. (birdwatching, colloquial) The act of missing out on seeing a sought after bird.
17. (UK, dialect, uncountable, Birmingham) Fried bread.
18. (finance, informal) A financial asset in decline, seen as an investment opportunity.

    buy the dips

• French: pendage
• German: Senke, Absenkung
• Italian: avvallamento
• Russian: углубле́ние
• Spanish: badén, hundimiento

• German: Eintauchen, Eintunken, Einstippen

• Italian: vasca

• German: Ölmessstab, Eichmaß, Messstab
• Russian: щуп

• German: Tauchen, Schwimmen, Baden, Erfrischungsbad

• French: trempette
• German: Soße, Tunke, Dip
• Russian: со́ус
• Spanish: dip, fondo, salsa

• German: Barrenstütz, Beugestütz
• Russian: обра́тное отжима́ние

dip (dips, present participle dipping; simple past and past participle dipped)

1. (transitive) To lower into a liquid.

   Dip your biscuit into your tea.

   • 1897, Bram Stoker, chapter 21, in Dracula, New York, N.Y.: Modern Library, →OCLC ↗:

     He dipped the end of a towel in cold water and with it began to flick him on the face, his wife all the while holding her face between her hands and sobbing in a way that was heart breaking to hear.

2. (intransitive) To immerse oneself; to become plunged in a liquid; to sink.
   • 1797–1798 (date written), [Samuel Taylor Coleridge], “The Rime of the Ancyent Marinere”, in Lyrical Ballads, with a Few Other Poems, London: […] J[ohn] & A[rthur] Arch, […], published 1798, →OCLC ↗:

     The sun's rim dips; the stars rush out.

3. (intransitive) (of a value or rate) To decrease slightly.
4. (transitive) To lower a light's beam.

   Dip your lights as you meet an oncoming car.

5. (transitive) To lower (a flag), particularly a national ensign, to a partially hoisted position in order to render or to return a salute. While lowered, the flag is said to be “at the dip.” A flag being carried on a staff may be dipped by leaning it forward at an approximate angle of 45 degrees.

   The sailor rushed to the flag hoist to dip the flag in return.

6. (transitive) To treat cattle or sheep by immersion in chemical solution.

   The farmer is going to dip the cattle today.

7. (transitive) To use a dip stick to check oil level in an engine.
8. To consume snuff by placing a pinch behind the lip or under the tongue so that the active chemical constituents of the snuff may be absorbed into the system for their narcotic effect.

9. (transitive) To immerse for baptism.
   • c. 1722, Charles Wheatly, A rational illustration of the Book of Common Prayer:

     […] during the reigns of King James and King Charles I, there were but very few children dipped in the font.

10. (transitive) To wet, as if by immersing; to moisten.
    • 1646 (indicated as 1645), John Milton, “Comus”, in Poems of Mr. John Milton, […], London: […] Ruth Raworth for Humphrey Mosely, […], →OCLC ↗:

      A cold shuddering dew / Dips me all o'er.

11. (intransitive) To plunge or engage thoroughly in any affair.
    • 1700, [John] Dryden, “Preface”, in Fables Ancient and Modern; […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC ↗:

      He was […] dipt in the rebellion of the Commons.

12. (transitive) To take out, by dipping a dipper, ladle, or other receptacle, into a fluid and removing a part; often with out.

    to dip water from a boiler; to dip out water

13. (intransitive) To perform the action of plunging a dipper, ladle. etc. into a liquid or soft substance and removing a part.
    • 1692, Roger L'Estrange, “ (please specify the fable number.) (please specify the name of the fable.)”, in Fables, of Æsop and Other Eminent Mythologists: […], London: […] R[ichard] Sare, […], →OCLC ↗:

      Whoever dips too deep will find death in the pot.

14. (transitive) To engage as a pledge; to mortgage.
    • 1693, Decimus Junius Juvenalis, John Dryden, transl., “[The Satires of Decimus Junius Juvenalis.] The Sixth Satyr”, in The Satires of Decimus Junius Juvenalis. Translated into English Verse. […] Together with the Satires of Aulus Persius Flaccus. […], London: Printed for Jacob Tonson […], →OCLC ↗:

      Live on the use and never dip thy lands.

15. (transitive) To perform (a bow or curtsey) by inclining the body.
16. (intransitive) To incline downward from the plane of the horizon.

    Strata of rock dip.

17. (transitive, dance) To perform a dip dance move (often phrased with the leader as the subject noun and the follower as the subject noun being dipped)
18. (transitive) To briefly lower the body by bending the knees while keeping the body in an upright position, usually in rhythm, as when singing or dancing.
19. (intransitive, colloquial) To leave; to quit or abandon.

    When the time came, he dipped.

    Twelve people worked on the project, but by the end, most of them had dipped on the real work.

20. (birdwatching, colloquial) To miss out on seeing a sought after bird.

• French: tremper, baigner, plonger
• German: (food) tunken, eintunken, stippen, (otherwise) eintauchen
• Italian: inzuppare, intingere, immergere
• Portuguese: mergulhar, imergir
• Russian: мака́ть
• Spanish: mojar, pringar, ensopar, sopear, sopar

• German: abblenden

• German: Ölstand prüfen

dip (plural dips)

1. (informal) A foolish person.

dip (plural dips)

1. (computer graphics) Initialism of device-independent pixel

Shortening.

dip (plural dips)

1. (informal) A diplomat.

• dip locker

dip

1. (electronics) Acronym of w:Dual in-line package
2. (programming) Acronym of dependency inversion principle