trip
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: enpr: trĭp
ipa: /tɹɪp/
ipa: [t͡ʃɹɪp]
ipa: [tʰɹɪp]
rhymes: -ɪp
Forms: form: trips
form: tripping
form: tripped
form: tripped
Etymology: From Middle English trippen (“tread or step lightly and nimbly, skip, dance”), perhaps from Old French triper (“to hop or dance around, strike with the feet”), from a Frankish source; or alternatively from Middle Dutch trippen (“to skip, trip, hop, stamp, trample”) (> Modern Dutch trippelen (“to toddle, patter, trip”)). Akin to Middle Low German trippen ( > Danish trippe (“to trip”), Swedish trippa (“to mince, trip”)), West Frisian tripje (“to toddle, trip”), German trippeln (“to scurry”), Old English treppan (“to trample, tread”). Related also to trap, tramp.
Senses: examples: text: Be careful not to trip on those tree roots. You tripped over the cat and fell downstairs just last week.
glosses: To fall over or stumble over an object as a result of striking it with one's foot
examples: text: A pedestrian was able to trip the burglar as he was running away.
text: Early in his boyhood he had learned to form ropes by twisting and tying long grasses together, and with these he was forever tripping Tublat or attempting to hang him from some overhanging branch.
ref: 1912 October, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “Tarzan of the Apes”, in The All-Story, New York, N.Y.: Frank A. Munsey Co., →OCLC; republished as chapter 5, in Tarzan of the Apes, New York, N.Y.: A[lbert] L[evi] Burt Company, June 1914, →OCLC:
glosses: To cause (a person or animal) to fall or stumble by knocking their feet from under them.
raw_tags: followed by "up"
examples: text: And the Pharasay / Then durst nothynge say, / But let the matter slyp, / And made truth to tryp;
ref: c. 1503–1512, John Skelton, Ware the Hauke; republished in John Scattergood, editor, John Skelton: The Complete English Poems, 1983, →OCLC, page 66, lines 152–155:
text: [T]ill his Tongue trips
ref: 1689 (indicated as 1690), [John Locke], “Remedies of the Imperfection and Abuse of Words”, in An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. […], London: […] Eliz[abeth] Holt, for Thomas Basset, […], →OCLC, book III, page 250:
text: A blind will thereupon comes to be led by a blind understanding; there is no remedy, but it must trip and stumble.
ref: 1692–1717, Robert South, “Discourse upon 2 Thessalonians ii.II”, in Twelve Sermons Preached upon Several Occasions, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London:
text: Virgil is so exact in every word that none can be changed but for a worse; he pretends sometimes to trip, but it is to make you think him in danger when most secure.
ref: 1697, Virgil, translated by John Dryden, The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:
text: "No, Mrs. Curzon-Bowlby," he said; "if I danced I should be tripping indeed, in Gleicester opinion."
ref: 1897, Stanley John Weyman, “The Deanery Ball”, in For the Cause:
glosses: To be guilty of a misstep or mistake; to commit an offence against morality, propriety, etc
examples: text: These her women can trip me if I err.
ref: 1611 April (first recorded performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Cymbeline”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene v]:
glosses: To detect in a misstep; to catch; to convict.
examples: text: When we get into the factory, trip the lights.
glosses: To activate or set in motion, as in the activation of a trap, explosive, or switch.
examples: text: The alarm system tripped, throwing everyone into a panic.
glosses: To be activated, as by a signal or an event
examples: text: From the evidence of witnesses and of the recorded passing times, including the time at which the circuit breakers were tripped when the wires were brought down, the train was travelling at a speed of not less than 70 m.p.h.
ref: 1961 November, “Talking of Trains: Derailment near Holmes Chapel”, in Trains Illustrated, page 652:
text: The 25kV had repeatedly tripped and the two had split from a larger group to operate an overhead line isolating switch.
ref: 2023 August 23, “Network News: CCTV helps save track workers from being struck by train”, in RAIL, number 990, page 10:
glosses: Of an electrical circuit, to trip out (through overload, a short circuit).
examples: text: After taking the LSD, I started tripping about fairies and colors.
text: So, I went to the doctor, see what he could give me / He said, "Son, son, you've gone too far / 'Cause smokin' and trippin’ is all that you do," / Yeeeeeeaaaaaah
ref: 1970, Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, Bill Ward, Ozzy Osbourne, “Fairies Wear Boots”, in Paranoid, performed by Black Sabbath:
glosses: To experience a state of reverie or to hallucinate, due to consuming psychoactive drugs.
examples: text: Last summer, we tripped to the coast.
glosses: To journey, to make a trip.
examples: text: Come, and trip it, as ye go, / On the light fantastic toe.
ref: a. 1645, John Milton, “L’Allegro”, in Poems of Mr. John Milton, […], London: […] Ruth Raworth for Humphrey Mosely, […], published 1646, →OCLC:
text: She bounded by, and tripped so light / They had not time to take a steady sight.
ref: 1687, [John Dryden], “(please specify the page number)”, in The Hind and the Panther. A Poem, in Three Parts, 2nd edition, London: […] Jacob Tonson […], →OCLC:
text: A bright beautiful face glanced out at the window, and vanished—a light footstep was heard—and Mary came tripping forth to meet us.
ref: 1819 June 23, Geoffrey Crayon [pseudonym; Washington Irving], “The Wife”, in The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., number I, New York, N.Y.: […] C[ornelius] S. Van Winkle, […], →OCLC, page 53:
glosses: To move with light, quick steps; to walk or move lightly; to skip.
topics: nautical
transport
glosses: To raise (an anchor) from the bottom, by its cable or buoy rope, so that it hangs free.
topics: nautical
transport
glosses: To pull (a yard) into a perpendicular position for lowering it.
examples: text: If she ain't with it, I find another little chick / I'm quick to switch, even when I was six / I had a backup bitch, when my bitch would trip / I'd go play with my other girlfriend and get me a kiss / And at the age of thirty-six I'm to the same old tricks
ref: 2003, “What's a Pimp?”, in Married to the Game, performed by Too $hort:
qualifier: African-American Vernacular; most commonly used in the form tripping; African-American Vernacular; most commonly used in the form tripping
glosses: To become unreasonably upset, especially over something unimportant; to cause a scene or a disruption.
qualifier: African-American Vernacular; most commonly used in the form tripping; African-American Vernacular; African-American Vernacular
glosses: To become unreasonably upset, especially over something unimportant; to cause a scene or a disruption.
To act foolishly or irrationally.
Derived terms: atrip
trip balls
tripcock
trip from the tongue
trip off the tongue
trip out
trip over
trip over oneself
trip over one's feet
trip over one's own two feet
tripper
trippy
trip the light fantastic
trip up
tripwire
trip wire