to plunge or be plunged quickly or briefly into a liquid, esp to wet or coat
2. (intransitive)
to undergo a slight decline, esp temporarily
sales dipped in November
3. (intransitive)
to slope downwards
the land dips towards the river
4. (intransitive)
to sink or appear to sink quickly
the sun dipped below the horizon
5. (transitive)
to switch (car headlights) from the main to the lower beam
US and Canadian word: dim
6. (transitive)
a.
to immerse (poultry, sheep, etc) briefly in a liquid chemical to rid them of or prevent infestation by insects, etc
b.
to immerse (grain, vegetables, or wood) in a preservative liquid
7. (transitive)
to stain or dye by immersing in a liquid
8. (transitive)
to baptize (someone) by immersion
9. (transitive)
to plate or galvanize (a metal, etc) by immersion in an electrolyte or electrolytic cell
10. (transitive)
to scoop up (a liquid or something from a liquid) in the hands or in a container
11.
to lower or be lowered briefly
she dipped her knee in a curtsy
12. (transitive)
to make (a candle) by plunging the wick into melted wax
13. (intransitive)
to plunge a container, the hands, etc, into something, esp to obtain or retrieve an object
he dipped in his pocket for money
14. (intr; foll by in or into)
to dabble (in); play (at)
she dipped into black magic
15. (intransitive)
(of an aircraft) to drop suddenly and then regain height
16. (intransitive)
(of a rock stratum or mineral vein) to slope downwards from the horizontal
17. (intransitive; often foll byfor)
(in children's games) to select a leader, etc by reciting any of various rhymes
18. (transitive) slang
to pick (a person's) pocket
noun
19.
the act of dipping or state of being dipped
20.
a brief swim in water
21.
a.
any liquid chemical preparation in which poultry, sheep, etc are dipped
b.
any liquid preservative into which objects, esp of wood, are dipped
22.
a preparation of dyeing agents into which fabric is immersed
23.
a depression, esp in a landscape
24.
something taken up by dipping
25.
a container used for dipping; dipper
26.
a momentary sinking down
27.
the angle of slope of rock strata, fault planes, etc, from the horizontal plane
28. Also called: angle of dip, magnetic dip, inclination
the angle between the direction of the earth's magnetic field and the plane of the horizon; the angle that a magnetic needle free to swing in a vertical plane makes with the horizontal
29.
a creamy mixture into which pieces of food are dipped before being eaten
30. surveying
the angular distance of the horizon below the plane of observation
31.
a candle made by plunging a wick repeatedly into wax
32.
a momentary loss of altitude when flying
33.
(in gymnastics) a chinning exercise on the parallel bars
34. a slang word for pickpocket
Word origin
Old English dyppan; related to Old High German tupfen to wash, German taufen to baptize; see deep
Examples of 'dipping' in a sentence
dipping
"She gave a quick shake of her head, dipping tendrils of hair into the bubbles.
Skelton, Alison Scott AN OLDER WOMAN (2001)
Cut two slices of crusty bread into chunks for dipping into the cheese.
The Sun (2015)
Now it is dipping a toe into the waters of celebrities.
Times, Sunday Times (2018)
But cheap ways of dipping your toe in exist.
Times, Sunday Times (2018)
I'm — always dipping into my overdraft — this month by 700.
The Sun (2013)
Eat straight away with the adjud sauce on the side for dipping.
The Sun (2013)
Add lime juice, season to taste then get dipping those nachos!
The Sun (2016)
That is why they are always tilting and dipping.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
That trend still shows no sign of dipping.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
All related terms of 'dipping'
angle of dip
to plunge or be plunged quickly or briefly into a liquid, esp to wet or coat
dip
If you dip something in a liquid, you put it into the liquid for a short time, so that only part of it is covered, and take it out again.
magnetic dip
to plunge or be plunged quickly or briefly into a liquid, esp to wet or coat
dim
Dim light is not bright.
dimmest
badly illuminated
snuff-dipping
the practice of absorbing nicotine by holding in one's mouth, between the cheek and the gum , a small amount of tobacco , either loose or enclosed in a sachet
dipping needle
a magnetized needle pivoted through its centre of gravity able to rotate freely in a vertical plane, used to determine the inclination of the earth's magnetic field
double-dipping
the act of receiving a government pension and salary at the same time
skinny-dipping
the act of going swimming in the nude
dip out
to miss out on or fail to participate in something
dip into
to draw (upon)
skinny-dip
If you skinny-dip , you go swimming with no clothes on.