TO TIP
The verb to tip is a versatile word in English, with several distinct meanings that often have little in common. This variety can sometimes cause confusion, so it’s essential to recognize the context in which the verb is used. For example, “to tip” can mean:
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To give extra money to someone providing a service: “We tipped the waiter generously.”
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To give someone a small piece of useful advice: “She gave me a useful tip about how to cook fish.”
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To cause something to fall or turn over: “Be careful, or you’ll tip the glass over!”
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(Primarily British) To discard unwanted items: “They spent Saturday tipping old furniture.”
The noun forms of tip also have distinct meanings. For example:
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A tip can refer to money given as a reward: “She gave the taxi driver a tip.”
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The tip of something refers to its pointed or end part: “He touched the tip of his nose.”
In the following sections, we’ll clearly illustrate and categorize these meanings.
The Most Common Meanings
Give Someone Extra Money For Their Service
The most common use of the verb to tip is to give someone extra money as a reward for a service they provided. This practice is widely recognized and appreciated in various service industries.
Tipping Culture:
To tip or not to tip, that is the dilemma! Tipping culture varies greatly around the world. In the USA, tipping is usually considered obligatory, while in many other countries, it’s optional or even uncommon. It’s important to distinguish a tip, which is voluntary, from a “service charge” or “cover charge,” which are automatically included in your bill and are obligatory.
Verb: To Tip / Tipped / Tipped
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We tipped the waiter after dinner.
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She always tips the hairdresser well.
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They tipped the taxi driver generously.
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He never tips waiters, he’s really tight*.
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My mate thinks tipping is morally wrong.
(*tight = the extreme opposite of generous [idomatic, British English])
Noun: A Tip
The noun tip refers specifically to the money given as a reward. It collocates with to give & to leave.
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She gave the taxi driver a generous tip.
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It’s customary to leave a tip for the waiter.
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Don’t forget to leave a tip at the restaurant.
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Getting tips helps many service staff make ends meet.*
(Make ends meet [idiomatic] = to earn enough money to live from one end of the month to the other, i.e., from start to finish.)
Mini-dialogue: A British couple, Jake & Emma, are on holiday in New York
Emma: So, should we leave a tip?
Jake: Hmm… I’m not sure. Was the service good enough?
Emma: I think so! The waiter was friendly, and the food came quickly.
Jake: I guess so and they refilled our drinks without us asking. I guess they deserve one.
Emma: Yeah, but how much should we leave? Is $5 too much?
Jake: That might be ok back home, in pounds, but I think 15% is more common here.
Emma: Let me just work that out on my phone… that’s $14.80. I guess we should round that up to $15.
Jake: Sounds good. Let’s leave the tip on the table to make sure our waiter gets it.
Giving Someone Advice or Information
Giving a Tip: Advice and Information
The noun tip is often used to mean a small but useful piece of advice or information. In everyday English, we don’t commonly use “to tip” as a verb in this sense; instead, we say to give someone a tip or to share a tip.
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She gave me a great tip on how to improve my presentation skills.
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Here’s a tip: Always check your work before submitting it!
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I read an article with useful cooking tips for beginners.
Tips and Tricks – A common ‘Marketing’ phrase
The phrase tips and tricks is commonly used in marketing, guidebooks, and online content to attract attention and suggest quick, useful advice. It often appears in how-to guides, self-improvement books, and digital content that promise easy solutions or shortcuts.
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10 Tips and Tricks for Mastering Public Speaking!
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Essential Tips and Tricks for Saving Money on Travel!
This phrase is particularly popular in technology, lifestyle, and self-help industries, where readers are looking for practical, time-saving advice. While “tips” refers to general helpful suggestions, “tricks” implies clever techniques or little-known methods to achieve a goal more efficiently.
In a related way, To tip someone off means to secretly or informally warn someone about something, often involving the police or an investigation. You can also say ‘give someone a tip off about something’ / ‘to be given a tip off about something [passive form].
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Someone tipped the police off about the planned robbery.
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A journalist was tipped off about the scandal before it became public.
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The HR director was given a tip off about employees who were spending company money on personal shopping.
Another related meaning comes from the world of betting, for example betting on horses in a race. Here “a tip” refers to inside information about which horse, competitor or team is likely to win. This is often given by someone with insider knowledge of the sport, such as a trainer.
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A friend gave me a great tip on a horse, and I won big at the races!
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The trainer tipped me off about his best horse, so I placed my bet.
So, while “tip” commonly means helpful advice, it can also refer to a secret warning or betting information, depending on the context.
Other Meanings
Disposing of Unwanted Things
Disposing of Unwanted Things
Another common meaning of to tip is related to getting rid of unwanted things. This use is more common in British English than American English. It refers to discarding objects, emptying containers, or disposing of liquids in a particular place.
In British English, “a tip” refers to an officially designated site for waste disposal, also known as a dump or municipal tip. It is where rubbish is taken after being collected by waste services.
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“We took the old furniture to the tip.”
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“The municipal tip is open for household waste disposal.”
This is not the same as “the bins”, which are the containers where households and businesses store their rubbish before collection.
Figurative Use: “This place looks like a tip”
In informal British English, saying “this place looks like a tip” means a place is extremely messy or untidy, comparing it to a rubbish dump.
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“Clean your room—it looks like a tip!”
Depending on the object being tipped and where it goes, different prepositions are used,
Usage Examples
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Tip something away – To dispose of something, usually waste. “We need to tip all this old junk away before the movers arrive.”
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Tip something down the drain – To pour liquid waste away. “Don’t tip that oil down the drain, it’s bad for the pipes!”
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Tip something out – To empty the contents of a container. “He opened the jigsaw box and tipped the pieces out onto the table.”
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Tip something over – To knock something over, often spilling its contents.“She tipped the bucket over by accident.”
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Tip something into (a bin, a container, etc.) – To empty something into another space. “He tipped the leftovers into the trash can.”
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Tip something onto – To pour or drop something onto a surface.“She tipped the flour onto the counter before kneading the dough.”
Note: In British English, ‘It’s tipping down’ means that it is raining heavily!
Tip Over & Tipping Points
In a way that is related to the panels above, the verb to tip means to lean, tilt, or shift away from an upright position. If something tips over, it falls completely onto its side or upside down. Ah, and by the way, in British English, when someone has drunk a little too much alcohol, we often describe them as ‘feeling tipsy’! This is because they feel unstable and might even fall over 🙂
Key Features of “Tip Over”
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It often happens gradually before falling.
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It can be accidental or intentional.
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It applies to objects, people, or even abstract concepts.
Examples of “Tip Over” in Action
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“Be careful, the glass might tip over and spill!”
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“The wind tipped the tree over during the storm.”
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“He tipped the chair back and nearly fell over.”
Tipping Points in Systems
A tipping point is the critical moment when a small change leads to a significant shift or irreversible effect in a system. It is often used in climate science, economics, and social change.
Examples of Tipping Points
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Climate: “Once global temperatures rise beyond a certain level, we may reach a tipping point where ice sheets collapse irreversibly.”
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Social Change: “Public opinion reached a tipping point, and new laws were introduced immediately.”
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Economics: “The company’s financial troubles hit a tipping point, leading to bankruptcy.”
Noun Phrases: The Tip Of…
The Tip Of The Iceberg!
The tip of something refers to its pointed or extreme end, often the smallest visible part of a larger object.
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“She touched the tip of her nose.”
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“The tip of the pen broke, so I couldn’t write.”
So the literal meaning of the common idiom, “the tip of the iceberg” comes from the fact that only a small part of an iceberg is visible above the water, while most of it remains hidden beneath the surface.
Figuratively, “the tip of the iceberg” describes a small or obvious part of a much larger problem or situation—one that is mostly hidden or yet to be revealed.
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“The financial losses reported by the company are just the tip of the iceberg—there are deeper issues behind the scenes.”
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“The complaints we’ve received are only the tip of the iceberg. Many more people are probably unhappy but haven’t spoken up.”
This phrase is commonly used to warn that a situation is more serious or complex than it first appears.
Another common idiomatic phrase is “It’s on the tip of my tongue” . You say this when you almost remember something but can’t quite recall it at the moment.
It often refers to a word, name, or piece of information that you know but struggle to bring to mind.
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“What’s the actor’s name? Ugh, it’s on the tip of my tongue!”
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“I know the answer, it’s right on the tip of my tongue, but I just can’t remember it!”
This phrase expresses temporary forgetfulness—when you feel that you’re about to remember something but need a little more time.
Body Parts
- The tips of my fingers (also known as “fingertips”)
- The tip of my nose
- The tips of your toes (also used as a verb, To Tiptoe, meaning to walk very quietly, e.g ‘She tiptoed out of the room so as to not wake the baby’)
Objects
- The tip of the pen (the writing point)
- The tip of the needle (the sharp end used for sewing or injections)
- The tip of the knife (the pointed end of the blade)
Weapons & Tools
- The tip of the spear (the leading part of an attack or strategy, also used metaphorically for pioneers in a movement)
- The tip of an arrow (the pointed metal part used for piercing)
Nature & Geography
- The tip of the iceberg (only a small part of a larger issue, also literal)
- The tip of the branch (the outermost part of a tree limb)
- The tip of a leaf (the pointed end of a leaf)
Conclusion
As we’ve seen, “to tip” and “tip” as a noun have multiple distinct meanings, ranging from leaving gratuities to disposing of objects, offering advice, and describing the pointed end of things. The expressions “to tip off,” “the tip of the iceberg,” and “it’s on the tip of my tongue” add even more depth to this versatile word. Understanding these meanings in context will help you use “tip” accurately in conversation. Now, test your knowledge with the quiz!
Let’s see what you remember! Do the quiz (select the answer you think is correct)
Tip Quiz
1. What does “to tip” usually mean in a restaurant setting?
2. Which of the following best describes “tipping culture”?
3. What does “to tip someone off” mean?
4. Which situation below describes “tip something down”?
5. What does “the tip of the iceberg” mean?
6. Which phrase means “I almost remember, but I can’t say it”?
7. What is another way to say “fingertips”?
8. In the context of betting, what does “a tip” mean?
9. What does “tip something out” mean?
10. What does “It tipped over” mean?