whip
(hwĭp, wĭp)
[Middle English wippen, whippen.]
verb: whipped or whipt (hwĭpt, wĭpt), whip·ping, whips.
transitive verb
- To strike with repeated strokes, as with a strap or rod; lash.
- To punish or chastise by repeated striking with a strap or rod; flog.
- To afflict, castigate, or reprove severely: “For nonconformity the world whips you with its displeasure” (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
- To drive, force, or compel by flogging, lashing, or other means.
- To strike or affect in a manner similar to whipping or lashing: Icy winds whipped my face.
- To beat (cream or eggs, for example) into a froth or foam.
- Informal To snatch, pull, or remove in a sudden manner: He whipped off his cap.
- To sew with a loose overcast or overhand stitch.
- To wrap or bind (a rope, for example) with twine to prevent unraveling or fraying.
- Nautical To hoist by means of a rope passing through an overhead pulley.
- Informal To defeat; outdo: Our team can whip your team.
intransitive verb
- To move in a sudden, quick manner; dart.
- To move in a manner similar to a whip; thrash or snap about: Branches whipped against the windows.
noun
- An instrument, either a flexible rod or a flexible thong or lash attached to a handle, used for driving animals or administering corporal punishment.
- A whipping or lashing motion or stroke; a whiplash.
- A blow, wound, or cut made by or as if by whipping.
- Something, such as a long radio antenna on a motor vehicle, that is similar to a whip in form or flexibility.
- Sports Flexibility, as in the shaft of a golf club.
- Sports A whipper-in.
- A member of a legislative body, such as the U.S. Congress or the British Parliament, charged by his or her party with enforcing party discipline and ensuring attendance.
- A call issued to party members in a lawmaking body to ensure attendance at a particular time.
- A dessert made of sugar and stiffly beaten egg whites or cream, often with fruit or fruit flavoring: prune whip.
- An arm on a windmill.
- Nautical A hoist consisting of a single rope passing through an overhead pulley.
- A ride in an amusement park, consisting of small cars that move in a rapid, whipping motion along an oval track.
phrasal verbs
- whip in
- To keep together, as members of a political party or hounds in a pack.
- whip up
- To arouse; excite: whipped up the mob; whip up enthusiasm.
- Informal To prepare quickly: whip up a light lunch.
idioms
- whip into shape
- To bring to a specified state or condition, vigorously and often forcefully.
derivatives
- whiṕper
- noun