tip

«tip» in Mova's school dictionary: its pointed or thin end, like the tip of your finger or a… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

part of speech

noun (a tip, tips); verb (tip, tips, tipped, tipping)

meaning for a pupil

1) The tip of something is its pointed or thin end, like the tip of your finger or a pencil. tree →

2) A tip is a small piece of useful advice. tree →

3) A tip is extra money you give someone, like a waiter, to thank them for their service. tree →

4) To tip something means to tilt it so it leans or falls over, or to pour something out by tilting. tree →

5) In the UK, a tip is a place where rubbish is taken, or a very messy place. tree →

sense in the lessons

In everyday life you «tip» a waiter or hairdresser in the USA, Canada and Australia, and a «tip» can mean helpful advice: «top tips for revision». In safety, a heavy bookcase can tip over, so it should be fixed to the wall, and a chair tipped back can fall. In maths, tips are often a percentage of the bill (a 10% tip). In science, the tip of an iceberg is the small part above water. Phrases: «on the tip of my tongue» (almost remembered), «tip off» (warn secretly).

examples

• Touch the paper with the tip of your pencil. tree →
• Here's a tip: read the question twice. tree →
• Mum left a tip for the waiter. tree →
• Don't tip your chair back or you'll fall. tree →
• She tipped the water out of the bucket. tree →
• His bedroom is a total tip! tree →
• The name is on the tip of my tongue. tree →
• A 10% tip on a $20 bill is $2. tree →
• There was magic in the tips of her fingers. tree →

note

Countable: a tip, tips. Past «tipped», «tipping» (double p). «Tip over» = fall or knock over. In maths, a tip is added to the bill: total = bill + tip. «Tip» (advice) and «hint» are close; a hint helps you guess. Using «tip» for a rubbish dump is British/Australian.

In the corpora

• And sometimes the gossip is lovely, like a big kind tip for a waitress.
• Many chatbots are trained to be helpful and pleasant, and sometimes that tips over into agreeing, praising and inventing.
• Board-game tips are well written about online, so bots can give real ones.
• Helping someone learn is different from doing their homework for them; you can explain, give tips and ask questions instead.
• Big flat brushes suit skies and backgrounds; small round brushes with a pointed tip suit details.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «tip» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.