drip

¹ American  

[drip] / drɪp /

verb (used without object)

dripped, dript, dripping

1. to let drops fall; shed drops.

   This faucet drips.

2. to fall in drops, as a liquid.

   Synonyms:

   drizzle, sprinkle, leak, dribble, trickle

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verb (used with object)

dripped, dript, dripping

1. to let fall in drops.

noun

1. an act of dripping.

2. liquid that drips.

3. the sound made by falling drops.

   the irritating drip of a faucet.

4. Slang. an unattractive, boring, or colorless person.

5. (in house painting) the accumulation of solidified drops of paint at the bottom of a painted surface.

6. Architecture, Building Trades. any device, as a molding, for shedding rainwater to keep it from running down a wall, falling onto the sill of an opening, etc.

7. a pipe for draining off condensed steam from a radiator, heat exchanger, etc.

8. Medicine/Medical. intravenous drip.

9. Slang. maudlin sentimentality.

DRIP ² American  

[dee-ahr-ahy-pee, drip] / ˈdiˈɑrˈaɪˈpi, drɪp /

abbreviation

Business, Finance.

1. dividend reinvestment plan: a program under which investors opt to have their dividends automatically applied to the purchase of more shares in the company, increasing their investment while avoiding commission charges.

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drip British  

/ drɪp /

verb

1. to fall or let fall in drops

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noun

1. the formation and falling of drops of liquid

2. the sound made by falling drops

3. architect a projection at the front lower edge of a sill or cornice designed to throw water clear of the wall below

4. informal an inane, insipid person

5. med

   1. the usually intravenous drop-by-drop administration of a therapeutic solution, as of salt or sugar

   2. the solution administered

   3. the equipment used to administer a solution in this way

Other Word Forms

• nondrip adjective

Etymology

Origin of drip¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English dryppe, Old English dryppan; drop

Origin of DRIP²

First recorded in 1975–80

Explanation

When water flows slowly in tiny drops, it drips. The movement of water in this way is called a drip. Have you ever had a leaky faucet? Then you probably know a drip is water leaking out one drop at a time: drip drip drip. A broken faucet has a drip, and you can say the water is dripping. When it rains, it usually starts dripping before it rains harder. When you turn on the shower, it might start as drips. Once the water is flowing strongly and in a stream, it's not dripping anymore.

Example Sentences

“What is different this time is how many, and not en masse. It’s drip, drip, drip,” said Duane Bratt, a political-science professor at Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

Many say they’re mentally worn down by the daily drip of headlines.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026

The prediction markets are under growing scrutiny as a steady drip of questionable trades make headlines.

From Barron's • Feb. 27, 2026

But the drip of revelations became a public relations headache for the Wall Street bank, where Ruemmler led its reputational risk committee.

From BBC • Feb. 13, 2026

After the IV drip, I carefully slide on a pair of bright-blue gloves, making sure to keep my B. cepacia germs far away from anything Stella will touch.

From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott