Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

tip off

 - 7 dictionary results
Tipoff at Amazon.com
Buy tipoff at Amazon! Qualified orders over $25 ship free
Amazon.com

tip-off

  [tip-awf, -of]
Use tip off in a Sentence
–noun Informal.
1. the act of tipping off.
2. a hint or warning: They got a tip-off on the raid.
Origin:
1910–15; n. use of v. phrase tip off
Tipoff at Amazon.com
Buy tipoff at Amazon! Qualified orders over $25 ship free
Amazon.com

tip

3  [tip] ,noun, verb, tipped, tip⋅ping.
–noun
1. a small present of money given directly to someone for performing a service or menial task; gratuity: He gave the waiter a dollar as a tip.
2. a piece of private or secret information, as for use in betting, speculating, or writing a news story: a tip from a bookie.
3. a useful hint or idea; a basic, practical fact: tips on painting.
–verb (used with object)
4. to give a gratuity to.
–verb (used without object)
5. to give a gratuity: She tipped lavishly.
—Verb phrase
6. tip off, Informal.
a. to supply with private or secret information; inform.
b. to warn of impending danger or trouble; caution beforehand: The moonshiners had been tipped off that they were about to be raided.
Origin:
1600–10; perh. special use of tip 4

Related forms:
tipless, adjective
tip⋅pa⋅ble, adjective

Synonyms:
3. suggestion, pointer.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To tip off
Slang Dictionary
tip-off

  1. n.
    a clue; an indication. : The tip-off was when the dog started wagging his tail. We knew you were hiding somewhere close.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

tip  (v.3)
"light, sharp blow or tap," c.1466, possibly from Low Ger. tippen "to poke, touch lightly," related to M.L.G. tip "end, point," and thus connected to tip (n.); or else connected with tap (v.) "to strike lightly." The noun in this sense is attested from 1567.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Financial Dictionary

tip

Information unavailable to the general public that, if accurate, could produce extraordinary profits for an investor who acts on it in a security transaction.

Wall Street Words: An A to Z Guide to Investment Terms by David L. Scott.
Copyright © 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: tip
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: tipped; tip·ping
: to provide a tip to or about —often used with off —tip·per noun
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source
Idioms & Phrases

tip off

Supply with secret or private information; also, warn or alert. For example, The broker often tipped her off about stocks about to go down in price, or Somehow they were tipped off and left the country before the police could catch them. [Colloquial; late 1800s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see tip off on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way