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Webster 1913 Edition

Whip

Whip

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Whipped
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Whipping
.]
[OE.
whippen
to overlay, as a cord, with other cords, probably akin to G. & D.
wippen
to shake, to move up and down, Sw.
vippa
, Dan.
vippe
to swing to and fro, to shake, to toss up, and L.
vibrare
to shake. Cf.
Vibrate
.]
1.
To strike with a lash, a cord, a rod, or anything slender and lithe; to lash; to beat;
as, to
whip
a horse, or a carpet
.
2.
To drive with lashes or strokes of a whip; to cause to rotate by lashing with a cord;
as, to
whip
a top
.
3.
To punish with a whip, scourge, or rod; to flog; to beat;
as, to
whip
a vagrant; to
whip
one with thirty nine lashes; to
whip
a perverse boy
.
Who, for false quantities, was
whipped
at school.
Dryden.
4.
To apply that which hurts keenly to; to lash, as with sarcasm, abuse, or the like; to apply cutting language to.
They would
whip
me with their fine wits.
Shakespeare
5.
To thrash; to beat out, as grain, by striking;
as, to
whip
wheat
.
6.
To beat (eggs, cream, or the like) into a froth, as with a whisk, fork, or the like.
7.
To conquer; to defeat, as in a contest or game; to beat; to surpass.
[Slang, U. S.]
8.
To overlay (a cord, rope, or the like) with other cords going round and round it; to overcast, as the edge of a seam; to wrap; – often with about, around, or over.
Its string is firmly
whipped
about with small gut.
Moxon.
9.
To sew lightly; specifically, to form (a fabric) into gathers by loosely overcasting the rolled edge and drawing up the thread;
as, to
whip
a ruffle
.
In half-
whipped
muslin needles useless lie.
Gay.
10.
To take or move by a sudden motion; to jerk; to snatch; – with into, out, up, off, and the like.
She, in a hurry,
whips
up her darling under her arm.
L’Estrange.
He
whips
out his pocketbook every moment, and writes descriptions of everything he sees.
Walpole.
11.
(Naut.)
(a)
To hoist or purchase by means of a whip.
(b)
To secure the end of (a rope, or the like) from untwisting by overcasting it with small stuff.
12.
To fish (a body of water) with a rod and artificial fly, the motion being that employed in using a whip.
Whipping
their rough surface for a trout.
Emerson.
To whip in
,
to drive in, or keep from scattering, as hounds in a hurt; hence, to collect, or to keep together, as member of a party, or the like.
–
To whip the cat
.
(a)
To practice extreme parsimony.
[Prov. Eng.]
Forby.
(b)
To go from house to house working by the day, as itinerant tailors and carpenters do.
[Prov. & U. S.]

Whip

,
Verb.
I.
To move nimbly; to start or turn suddenly and do something; to whisk;
as, he
whipped
around the corner
.
With speed from thence he
whipped
.
Sackville.
Two friends, traveling, met a bear upon the way; the one
whips
up a tree, and the other throws himself flat upon the ground.
L'Estrange.

Whip

,
Noun.
[OE.
whippe
. See
Whip
,
Verb.
T.
]
1.
An instrument or driving horses or other animals, or for correction, consisting usually of a lash attached to a handle, or of a handle and lash so combined as to form a flexible rod.
“[A] whip's lash.”
Chaucer.
In his right hand he holds a
whip
, with which he is supposed to drive the horses of the sun.
Addison.
2.
A coachman; a driver of a carriage;
as, a good
whip
.
Beaconsfield.
3.
(Mach.)
(a)
One of the arms or frames of a windmill, on which the sails are spread.
(b)
The length of the arm reckoned from the shaft.
4.
(Naut.)
(a)
A small tackle with a single rope, used to hoist light bodies.
(b)
The long pennant. See
Pennant
(a)
5.
A huntsman who whips in the hounds; whipper-in.
6.
(Eng. Politics)
(a)
A person (as a member of Parliament) appointed to enforce party discipline, and secure the attendance of the members of a Parliament party at any important session, especially when their votes are needed.
(b)
A call made upon members of a Parliament party to be in their places at a given time, as when a vote is to be taken.
Whip and spur
,
with the utmost haste.
–
Whip crane
, or
Whip purchase
,
a simple form of crane having a small drum from which the load is suspended, turned by pulling on a rope wound around larger drum on the same axle.
–
Whip gin
.
See
Gin block
, under 5th
Gin
.
–
Whip grafting
.
See under
Grafting
.
–
Whip hand
,
the hand with which the whip is used; hence, advantage; mastery;
as, to have or get the
whip hand
of a person
.
Dryden.
–
Whip ray
(Zool.)
,
the European eagle ray. See under
Ray
.
–
Whip roll
(Weaving)
,
a roll or bar, behind the reeds in a loom, on which the warp threads rest.
–
Whip scorpion
(Zool.)
,
any one of numerous species of arachnids belonging to
Thelyphonus
and allied genera. They somewhat resemble true scorpions, but have a long, slender bristle, or lashlike organ, at the end of the body, instead of a sting.
–
Whip snake
(Zool.)
,
any one of various species of slender snakes.
Specifically:
(a)
A bright green South American tree snake (
Philodryas viridissimus
) having a long and slender body. It is not venomous. Called also
emerald whip snake
.
(b)
The coachwhip snake.

Webster 1828 Edition

Whip

WHIP

,
Verb.
T.
[L., a sweeping throw or thrust.]
1.
To strike with a lash or sweeping cord; as, to whip a horse.
2.
To sew slightly.
3.
To drive with lashes; as, to whip a top.
4.
To punish with the whip; as, to whip a vagrant; to whip one thirty nine lashes; to whip a perverse boy.
Who, for false quantities, was whippd at school.
5.
To lash with sarcasm.
They would whip me with their fine wits.
6.
To strike; to thrash; to beat out, as grain, by striking; as, to whip wheat. [Not in use int he United States.]
To whip about or round, to wrap; to inwrap; as, to whip a line round a rod.
To whip out, to draw nimbly; to snatch; as, to whip out a sword or rapier from its sheath.
To whip from, to take away suddenly.
To whip into, to thrust in with a quick motion. He whipped his hand into his pocket.
To whip us, to seize or take up with a quick motion. She whipped up the child, and ran off. Among seamen, to hoist with a whip or small tackle.

WHIP

,
Verb.
I.
To move nimbly; to start suddenly and run; or to turn and run; as, the boy whipped away in an instant; he whipped round the corner; he whipped into the house, and was out of wight in a moment.

WHIP

,
Noun.
1.
An instrument for driving horses or other teams, or for correction, consisting of a lash tied to a handle or rod.
2.
In ships, a small tackle, used to hoist light bodies.
Whip and spur, with the utmost haste.

Definition 2024

whip

whip

See also: WHIP

English

Noun

whip ‎(plural whips)

  1. A lash; a pliant, flexible instrument, such as a rod (commonly of cane or rattan) or a plaited or braided rope or thong (commonly of leather) used to create a sharp "crack" sound for directing or herding animals.
    I had to use the whip to get the sheep's attention.
    1. The same instrument used to strike a person or animal for corporal punishment or torture.
      Once he ran out of appeals, he knew he would soon feel the sting of the whip.
  2. (hunting) A whipper-in.
    • 1928, Siegfried Sassoon, Memoirs of a Fox-Hunting Man, Penguin 2013, p. 27:
      From the far side of the wood came the long shrill screech […] which signifies that one of the whips has viewed the fox quitting the covert.
  3. (politics) A member of a political party who is in charge of enforcing the party's policies in votes.
    I was going to vote against the bill, but the party whip came to see me and made it clear I needed to vote for it.
  4. Whipped cream.
    Did you want to add some whip to your coffee, ma'am?
  5. (nautical) A purchase in which one block is used to gain a 2:1 mechanical advantage.
  6. (African American Vernacular) A mode of personal motorized transportation; an automobile, all makes and models including motorcycles, excluding public transportation.
    Come on, let's take my whip so we can get there in time.
  7. (roller derby) A move in which one player transfers momentum to another.
  8. A whipping motion; a thrashing about.
    I was startled by the whip of the rope when it finally snapped.
  9. The quality of being whiplike or flexible; suppleness, as of the shaft of a golf club.
  10. Any of various pieces that operate with a quick vibratory motion, such as a spring in certain electrical devices for making a circuit, or a rocking certain piano actions.
  11. (informal, slang) Car; automobile
    Hey, do you got a whip? Can you come pick me up?

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

whip ‎(third-person singular simple present whips, present participle whipping, simple past and past participle whipped)

  1. (transitive) To hit with a whip.
    The rider whipped the horse.
  2. (transitive) By extension, to hit with any flexible object.
    I whipped her with a newspaper.
  3. (transitive, slang) To defeat, as in a contest or game.
    • 2008, Edward Keating, The Joy of Ex: A Novel
      She whips me in the first game of pool, I do not even get a shot. Eight-balled from the break.
  4. (transitive) To mix in a rapid aerating fashion, especially food.
    to whip eggs or cream
  5. (transitive) To urge into action.
    He whipped the department into shape.
  6. (transitive, nautical) To bind the end of a rope with twine or other small stuff to prevent its unlaying: fraying or unravelling.
    • Moxon
      Its string is firmly whipped about with small gut.
  7. (transitive, nautical) To hoist or purchase by means of a whip.
  8. To sew lightly; specifically, to form (a fabric) into gathers by loosely overcasting the rolled edge and drawing up the thread.
    to whip a ruffle
    • John Gay
      In half-whipped muslin needles useless lie.
  9. (transitive) To throw or kick an object at a high velocity.
    • He whipped the ball at me.
    • 2010 December 29, Chris Whyatt, “Chelsea 1 - 0 Bolton”, in BBC:
      Composed play then saw Sam Ricketts nutmeg Ashley Cole before Taylor whipped a fine curling effort over Petr Cech's bar.
  10. (transitive) To fish a body of water especially by making repeated casts.
    • Emerson
      whipping their rough surface for a trout
  11. (intransitive) To snap back and forth like a whip.
    • The pennants whipped in the wind.
  12. (intransitive) To move very fast.
    • The wind whipped through the valley.
    • L'Estrange
      Two friends, travelling, met a bear upon the way; the one whips up a tree, and the other throws himself flat upon the ground.
    • 1886, Robert Louis Stevenson, Strange Case Of Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde
      He looked up when I came in, gave a kind of cry, and whipped upstairs into the cabinet. It was but for one minute that I saw him, but the hair stood upon my head like quills.
  13. (transitive) To move (something) very fast; often with up, out, etc.
    • L'Estrange
      She, in a hurry, whips up her darling under her arm.
    • Walpole
      He whips out his pocketbook every moment, and writes descriptions of everything he sees.
  14. (transitive, roller derby) To transfer momentum from one skater to another.
  15. (figuratively) To lash with sarcasm, abuse, etc.
    • Shakespeare
      They would whip me with their fine wits.
  16. To thrash; to beat out, as grain, by striking.
    to whip wheat

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

See also

References

  • Samuel Johnson, John Walker, Robert S. Jameson: 1828. A dictionary of the English language 2nd edition. Publisher: William Pickering, 1828. 831 pages. Page 818. Google Public Domain Books : []

Etymology

From Middle English w(h)ippen ‎(“flap violently”), from Middle Dutch wippen ‎(“swing, leap, dance, oscillate”) and Middle Low German wippe ‎(“quick movement”), from Proto-Germanic *wipjan ‎(“to move back and forth”). Some similarity to Sanskrit root वेप् ‎(vep, “shake, flourish”), Latin vibrō ‎(“I shake”). (See Swedish vippa and Danish vippe ‎(“to shake”)).

Pronunciation

  • enPR: wĭp, IPA(key): /wɪp/
  • Rhymes: -ɪp
  • enPR: hwĭp, IPA(key): /ʍɪp/

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