What does dip mean?
"Dip" is a versatile English verb with several closely related senses. At its core it means to lower something briefly into a liquid — dipping a brush into paint, a chip into salsa, or a toe into the sea to test its temperature. By extension it describes any brief downward movement: the sun dips below the horizon, a road dips into a valley, and a dancer dips their partner. In economic and scientific writing, "dip" denotes a temporary decline, as when temperatures dip overnight or share prices dip before recovering. As a noun, it names both the act of dipping ("a dip in the pool") and thick sauces meant for scooping. The word carries a light, casual connotation — dipping suggests brevity rather than full submersion, which distinguishes it from stronger verbs like plunge or immerse. Its flexibility across physical, figurative, and technical contexts makes it a staple of natural English prose.
To put something briefly into a liquid and take it out again; to move or slope downward momentarily.
"He dipped his pen into the inkwell before signing the letter."
A brief immersion or swim; a thick sauce into which pieces of food are dipped; a short-lived decline.
"We went for a quick dip in the lake after lunch."
Standard plural, used chiefly for sauces or repeated instances of dipping.
"The party table was crowded with chips and various dips."
The same three letters that describe plunging into cold water also chart a stock market's worst day.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of dip
"Dip" comes from Old English "dyppan," meaning to immerse or baptize, which itself derives from Proto-Germanic roots connected to the adjective "deep." It is therefore a native Germanic word, related historically to words like "deep" and "dibble" through shared ancestry. The noun sense of a sauce or a brief swim developed later in Middle and Modern English.
Related word forms
How dip is actually used
Common in everyday speech across registers; 'take a dip' is informal British English for a quick swim. The financial sense ('a dip in profits') is neutral and widely used in business contexts.
Easily confused with dip
'Deep' is an adjective describing great depth, while 'dip' is primarily a verb meaning to immerse or descend briefly.