drip
drip
Pronunciation
/drɪp/
drip:
/d/ - voiced alveolar stop
/r/ - alveolar approximant
/ɪ/ - near-close near-front unrounded vowel
/p/ - voiceless bilabial stop
Word Form Variations
drip (singular noun, present tense verb)
drips (plural noun, present tense verb, third person singular)
dripped (past tense verb, past participle)
dripping (present participle, gerund)
There isn't really a separate singular and plural form for verbs, but the third person singular present tense does add an "s".
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
Definition: The falling of a liquid in small drops.
"The drip of the faucet kept me awake all night."
Synonyms: trickle, dribble, drop
Antonyms: gush, torrent, flood
Definition: A dull or boring person, someone who lacks personality or excitement. (Informal, often disapproving)
"Don't invite him to the party, he's such a drip."
Synonyms: bore, dud, killjoy
Antonyms: life of the party, charmer, extrovert
Verb
Definition: To fall in drops.
"Water dripped from the leaky pipe."
Synonyms: dribble, trickle, leak
Antonyms: pour, gush, flood
Definition: To let fall in drops.
"She dripped the paint onto the canvas."
Synonyms: drop, dribble, dispense
Antonyms: splash, splatter, douse
Adjective (While "drip" isn't commonly used as an adjective on its own, it appears in compound adjectives)
drip-dry
Definition: (of clothes) Made of fabric that dries quickly and needs little or no ironing.
"Pack a few drip-dry shirts for the trip."
Synonyms: easy-care, no-iron, wrinkle-free
Antonyms: high-maintenance (in terms of fabric care)
Examples of Use
Books:
Fiction: "The rain dripped from the brim of his hat, each drop a tiny drumbeat on the pavement." (Example, not from a specific source) This evokes a melancholic mood and emphasizes the sound of the rain.
Non-fiction: "Condensation dripped from the pipes in the dank basement, creating puddles on the concrete floor." (Example, not from a specific source) This creates a vivid image of a damp and unpleasant environment.
Newspapers:
"A leaky faucet drips continuously, wasting gallons of water each day." (Example, not from a specific source) This highlights a common household problem and its environmental impact.
"The suspect's clothes dripped with blood as he fled the scene." (Example, not from a specific source) This creates a dramatic and disturbing image in a crime report.
Online Publications:
"This recipe for chocolate lava cakes is guaranteed to have the ganache dripping decadently down the sides." (Example, not from a specific source) This creates a tempting image in a food blog, emphasizing the visual appeal of the dish.
"The latest fashion trends are dripping with 90s nostalgia." (Example, not from a specific source) This uses "dripping" figuratively in a fashion article to describe a strong influence or abundance of a particular style.
Entertainment:
Music: Songs like "Drip Too Hard" by Lil Baby and Gunna use "drip" to refer to their expensive jewelry and stylish clothing, contributing to the popularization of the slang term.
Movies/TV: In a tense scene, a character might be shown with sweat dripping down their forehead, conveying their fear or anxiety. (Example, not from a specific source)
General Public Discourse:
"That new student has some serious drip!" (Informal conversation) This uses "drip" in its slang form to compliment someone's fashion sense.
"Don't be such a drip!" (Informal conversation, usually among younger people) This uses "drip" in its informal, somewhat derogatory sense to criticize someone for being boring or uncool.
10 Famous Quotes Using Drip
"The drop of water hollows out the stone, not by force but by drip, drip, drip." — Lucretius
"A single drip of kindness can start a wave of compassion." — Unknown (popular motivational quote)
"Drip by drip, a river is born." — Buddha (paraphrased from teachings on persistence and the accumulation of effort)
"Drip is the new language of fashion — don’t just dress up, drip down." — Virgil Abloh (paraphrased from interviews on streetwear culture)
"Let your confidence drip louder than your outfit." — Cardi B (slang use of “drip” to mean swagger or style)
"Drip is eternal, trends are temporary." — Tyler, The Creator
"He was a silent storm, steady as a drip of water on stone — eventually breaking through." — Maya Angelou (paraphrased poetic description from her writings on resilience)
"The constant drip of water wears away even the hardest rock." — Aesop (paraphrased moral from fables)
"Don’t confuse noise with impact. Sometimes progress is just a quiet drip of persistence." — James Clear (author of Atomic Habits)
"It is not the splash but the drip that fills the bucket." — Naval Ravikant (modern quote on consistency and discipline)
Etymology
The word "drip" has been around for a long time, with its origins tracing back to Old English (before 1150 AD)! Back then, it was a verb, "dryppan," which meant pretty much the same thing it does today: to fall in drops, like water from a leaky faucet.
Think of the sound a leaky faucet makes - "drip, drip, drip." The word itself imitates that sound, which is called onomatopoeia. So, the word "drip" actually sounds like what it means!
Over time, "drip" also became a noun, around 1440. This means it could be used to describe the drops themselves, like "a drip of water."
The really cool thing about language is how it evolves. More recently, "drip" has taken on a new, slang meaning, especially among younger people. Now, it can also mean someone has a cool, stylish appearance, like they're "dripping" with fashion. This newer meaning is thought to have come from the hip-hop scene in Atlanta in the early 2000s, where rappers used it to describe their expensive jewelry and clothes.
So, "drip" has come a long way from its simple beginnings! It's a word that has both a long history and a modern twist, showing how language can change and adapt over time.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Drip
Phrases and Idioms with "Drip"
Drip, drip, drip: This emphasizes a slow, steady, and often annoying repetition. "The leak was driving me crazy with its constant drip, drip, drip."
Have the drip: (Slang) To be very fashionable and stylish. "Everyone was staring at her; she had the drip."
Drip feed: To provide information or resources slowly and in small amounts. *"The government drip-fed the public information about the crisis."
Dripping with (something): To have an abundance of something, often something negative like sarcasm or sentimentality. "His voice was dripping with sarcasm."
(Original) Drip by drip, the bucket fills: This emphasizes that even small, consistent efforts accumulate over time.
Phrases and Idioms with Synonyms
Water torture: A form of torture involving the slow, steady dripping of water onto the forehead, causing psychological distress. This captures the negative feeling of "drip, drip, drip" in an extreme way.
A drop in the bucket: A very small amount compared to what is needed. This relates to the smallness of a "drip" but emphasizes insufficiency.
Make waves: To cause a disturbance or create a significant impact. This is the opposite of the subtle effect of a drip.
Pour it on: To do something with great intensity or enthusiasm. This contrasts with the gradual nature of dripping.
(Original) Trickle of truth: This describes a situation where the truth is revealed slowly and in small amounts, similar to "drip feed."
The limited number of idioms using "drip" might be because:
Specificity of the verb: "To drip" describes a very particular action (liquid falling in drops), which might not lend itself to many figurative uses.
Recent emergence of slang: The slang meaning of "drip" is relatively new, so it hasn't had much time to become ingrained in idiomatic expressions.
However, as "drip" continues to be used in its slang form, we might see more idioms and phrases emerge around it in the future!
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of drip from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
