sip
1 Americanverb (used with object)
-
to drink (a liquid) a little at a time; take small tastes of.
He sipped the hot tea noisily.
-
to drink from a little at a time.
The bird sipped the flower.
-
to take in; absorb.
to sip knowledge at its source.
verb (used without object)
noun
-
an instance of sipping; a small taste of a liquid.
One sip told me that the milk was sour.
-
a small quantity taken by sipping.
Take just a sip, not a gulp or a swallow.
verb
noun
-
a small quantity of a liquid taken into the mouth and swallowed
-
an act of sipping
Related Words
See drink.
Other Word Forms
- sipper noun
- sippingly adverb
- unsipped adjective
Etymology
Origin of sip
1350–1400; Middle English sippen (v.), akin to Low German sippen to sip
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"More AI," said one viral Threads post, questioning why his cup remained full after a large sip.
From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026
"Just sip water, that's more than good enough and keep your hard-earned money for other things."
From BBC • Jan. 1, 2026
After I took a sip with a spoon, she said, “See, it’s not bad.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 30, 2025
Each of these resorts has an undersea restaurant, where travelers can sip sparkling wine and eat crab and caviar as Rainbowfish flit by, and Blacktip sharks skulk in the distance.
From Salon • Dec. 27, 2025
Now Mom blew into her cup but didn’t take a sip.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
