Whip Definition & Meaning

American

British

Cultural

Idioms

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms whip American [hwip, wip] / ʰwɪp, wɪp /

verb (used with object)

whipped, whipt, whipping

1. to beat with a strap, lash, rod, or the like, especially by way of punishment or chastisement; flog; thrash.

   Criminals used to be whipped for minor offenses.

   Synonyms: chastise, scold, reprimand, switch, flagellate, scourge

2. to strike with quick, repeated strokes of something slender and flexible; lash.

   He impatiently whipped his leg with his riding crop.

3. to urge or force on with, or as with, a lash, rod, etc.

4. to lash or castigate with words.

5. to train or organize forcefully.

   to whip the team into shape.

6. Informal. to defeat or overcome.

   to whip the opposition;

   to whip a bad habit.

   Synonyms: conquer, beat

7. to hoist or haul by means of a lash or whip.

8. to move quickly and suddenly; pull, jerk, seize, or the like, with a sudden movement (often followed by out, in, into, etc.).

   He whipped his gun out of its holster.

9. to fish (a stream, lake, etc.) with rod and line, especially by making repeated casts.

   I whipped the stream all day and caught nothing.

10. to beat (eggs, cream, etc.) to a froth with an eggbeater, whisk, fork, or other implement in order to mix in air and cause expansion.

    Synonyms: whisk

11. to overlay or cover (cord, rope, etc.) with cord, thread, or the like wound about it.

    to whip the end of a hawser.

12. to wind (cord, twine, thread, etc.) about something.

    The tailor whipped the seams with heavy thread.

13. to sew with a light overcasting stitch.

verb (used without object)

whipped, whipt, whipping

1. to move or go quickly and suddenly; dart; whisk.

   She whipped into the store for some milk.

2. to beat or lash about, as a pennant in the wind.

3. to fish with rod and line, especially by casting the line frequently.

noun

1. an instrument for striking, as in driving animals or in punishing, typically consisting of a lash or other flexible part with a more rigid handle.

   Synonyms: switch

2. a whipping or lashing stroke or motion.

3. a utensil for beating to a froth; whisk.

4. a dish made of cream or egg whites beaten to a froth, and usually blended with puréed fruit into a mousse-like consistency.

   pineapple whip.

5. Politics.

   1. a party manager in a legislative body who secures attendance for voting and directs other members.

   2. (in Britain) a written call made on members of a party to be in attendance for voting.

6. a windmill vane.

7. Hunting. a whipper-in.

8. a tackle consisting of a fall rove through a single standing block single whip so as to change the direction of hauling with no mechanical advantage, or consisting of a fall secured at one end and rove through a single running and a single standing block double whip so as to change the direction of hauling with a mechanical advantage of two, neglecting friction.

9. the wrapping around the end of a whipped cord or the like.

10. Also called whirl. Machinery. eccentric rotation of a shaft having its center line slightly curved between supporting bearings.

11. a branchless shoot of a woody plant, especially one resulting from the first year's growth of a bud or graft.

12. Chiefly British: Older Use. a person who uses a whip as part of their work, such as a coachman or a driver of horses.

verb phrase

1. whip off to write hurriedly.

   He whipped off three new songs last night.

2. whip in to prevent from wandering, as hounds.

3. whip up

   1. to plan or assemble quickly.

      to whip up a delicious dinner.

   2. to incite; arouse; stir.

      to whip up the mob.

whip British / wɪp /

verb

1. to strike (a person or thing) with several strokes of a strap, rod, etc

2. (tr) to punish by striking in this manner

3. (tr; foll by out, away, etc) to pull, remove, etc, with sudden rapid motion

   to whip out a gun

4. informal (intr; foll by down, into, out of, etc) to come, go, etc, in a rapid sudden manner

   they whipped into the bar for a drink

5. to strike or be struck as if by whipping

   the tempest whipped the surface of the sea

6. (tr) to criticize virulently

7. (tr) to bring, train, etc, forcefully into a desired condition (esp in the phrases whip into line and whip into shape )

8. informal (tr) to overcome or outdo

   I know when I've been whipped

9. (tr; often foll by on, out, or off) to drive, urge, compel, etc, by or as if by whipping

10. (tr) to wrap or wind (a cord, thread, etc) around (a rope, cable, etc) to prevent chafing or fraying

11. (tr) nautical to hoist by means of a rope through a single pulley

12. (tr) (in fly-fishing) to cast the fly repeatedly onto (the water) in a whipping motion

13. (tr) (in sewing) to join, finish, or gather with whipstitch

14. to beat (eggs, cream, etc) with a whisk or similar utensil to incorporate air and produce expansion

15. (tr) to spin (a top)

16. informal (tr) to steal

    he whipped her purse

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

1. a device consisting of a lash or flexible rod attached at one end to a stiff handle and used for driving animals, inflicting corporal punishment, etc

2. a whipping stroke or motion

3. a person adept at handling a whip, as a coachman, etc

4. 1. a member of a party chosen to organize and discipline the members of his faction, esp in voting and to assist in the arrangement of the business

   2. a call issued to members of a party, insisting with varying degrees of urgency upon their presence or loyal voting behaviour

   3. (in the British Parliament) a schedule of business sent to members of a party each week. Each item on it is underlined to indicate its importance: one line means that no division is expected, two lines means that the item is fairly important, and three lines means that the item is very important and every member must attend and vote according to the party line

5. an apparatus for hoisting, consisting of a rope, pulley, and snatch block

6. any of a variety of desserts made from egg whites or cream beaten stiff, sweetened, and flavoured with fruit, fruit juice, etc

7. See whipper-in

8. a windmill vane

9. transient elastic movement of a structure or part when subjected to sudden release of load or dynamic excitation

10. a percussion instrument consisting of two strips of wood, joined forming the shape of a V, and clapped loudly together

11. flexibility, as in the shaft of a golf club, etc

12. a ride in a funfair involving bumper cars that move with sudden jerks

13. a wrestling throw in which a wrestler seizes his opponent's arm and spins him to the floor

14. informal a fair chance or opportunity

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 whip Cultural

1. In the United States Congress or state legislatures, an assistant to the majority leader or minority leader responsible for stirring up party support on issues, keeping track of party members' votes, and acting as a general liaison between the majority leader or minority leader and other party members.

whip Idioms

More idioms and phrases containing whip

• crack the whip
• lick (whip) into shape
• smart as a whip
• upper (whip) hand

Other Word Forms

• overwhip verb (used with object)
• prewhip verb (used with object)
• self-whipper noun
• unwhipt adjective
• whiplike adjective
• whipper noun

Etymology

Origin of whip

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English w(h)ippe (noun), w(h)ippen (verb); cognate with Dutch wippen “to swing, oscillate”; compare Low German wip(pe) “quick movement”

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.

After the program, she whipped her fist through the air triumphantly.

From Los Angeles Times

Warwickshire County Council and Reform group leader George Finch confirmed the whip had been removed from Scott Cameron and Luke Cooper.

From BBC

Murphy notched his first goal in the Champions League in the 72nd minute, whipping a deflected strike past Kochalski to put the seal on Newcastle's perfect evening.

From Barron's

“Well, here’s what we need to do,” Katherine said, tossing her head emphatically, her ponytail whipping out behind her.

From Literature

The wind had whipped it to a fury, and it wasn’t ready to calm down just because the storm had passed.

From Literature

Related Words

• pull
• rush
• shoot
• snatch
• tear
• whirl
• whisk

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.