I. dip 1 /dɪp/ BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle dipped , present participle dipping )
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: dyppan ]
1 . PUT SOMETHING IN LIQUID [transitive] to put something into a liquid and lift it out again
dip something in/into something
He dipped his hand in the water.
Dip the strawberries into melted chocolate.
2 . MOVE DOWN [intransitive and transitive] to move down, or to make something move down, usually for just a short time:
We watched the sun dip below the horizon.
She dipped her head and spoke into the microphone.
3 . BECOME LESS [intransitive] if an amount or level dips, it becomes less, usually for just a short time SYN fall :
Profits dipped slightly last year.
Temperatures dipped to –10°C last night.
4 . ROAD/PATH [countable] if land or a road or path dips, it slopes down and then goes up again
5 . dip your headlights/lights British English to lower the angle of the front lights of your car when someone is driving towards you
6 . ANIMALS [transitive] to put animals in a chemical that kills insects on their skin
⇨ ↑ skinny-dipping
• • •
THESAURUS
■ to put something into a liquid
▪ dip to put something into a liquid for a very short time and take it out again:
She dipped her hand in the water to see how hot it was.
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Prawns are delicious dipped in a spicy sauce.
▪ plunge to put something quickly, firmly, and deeply into a liquid:
Plunge the pasta into a pan of boiling water.
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I had to plunge my arm in up to the elbow to reach the keys.
▪ dunk to put something such as a piece of bread or cake into a hot drink or soup before eating it:
I love biscuits dunked in coffee.
▪ immerse to put something deep into a liquid so that it is completely covered:
If the plant’s leaves look dry, immerse the roots in water for a while.
dip into something phrasal verb
1 . to read short parts of a book, magazine etc, but not the whole thing:
It’s the kind of book you can dip into now and again.
2 . to use some of an amount of money that you have:
Medical bills forced her to dip into her savings.
Parents are being asked to dip into their pockets for new school books (=use their own money to pay for them) .
3 . to put your hand into a bag or box in order to take out one of the things inside:
On her lap was a bag of candy which she kept dipping into.
II. dip 2 BrE AmE noun
1 . SWIM [countable] informal a quick swim:
Are you coming in for a dip?
take/have a dip
Let’s take a dip in the lake.
2 . DECREASE [countable] a slight decrease in the amount of something
dip in
an unexpected dip in profits
3 . FOOD [uncountable and countable] a thick mixture that you can dip food into before you eat it:
sour cream and onion dip
4 . IN A SURFACE [countable] a place where the surface of something goes down suddenly, then goes up again
dip in
a dip in the road
5 . FOR ANIMALS [uncountable and countable] a chemical that kills insects on sheep and other animals:
sheep dip
6 . PERSON [countable] American English spoken a stupid person
7 . a dip into something a quick look at information, a book, magazine etc:
People interested in history would enjoy a dip into this book.
⇨ ↑ lucky dip