blip

noun

\ ˈblip

Definition of blip

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a trace on a display screen (such as an oscilloscope) especially : a spot on a radar screen

2 : a short crisp sound

3 : an interruption of the sound received in a radio or television program or occurring in a recording as a result of blipping

4 : a transient sharp movement up or down (as of a quantity commonly shown on a graph)

5 : something relatively small or inconsequential within a larger context made only a blip on the political scene

blip

verb

blipped; blipping

Definition of blip (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to remove (recorded sound) from a recording so that there is an interruption of the sound in the reproduction a censor blipped the swear words

Examples of blip in a Sentence

Noun

The approaching ship appeared as a blip on the screen. the blips, buzzes, and bleeps of a video game The company's financial problems were just a temporary blip.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Given that the opioid epidemic has now been building up for literally decades, this is a pretty small time frame for overdose data, and could be a blip more than a real downturn. — German Lopez, Vox, "Trump’s health secretary says the opioid epidemic may be turning around. Not so fast.," 24 Oct. 2018 The deceleration in these less expensive markets suggests that the housing slowdown isn’t a temporary blip but could become a longer-term shift to a more sluggish national housing market in the months to come. — Laura Kusisto, WSJ, "Las Vegas Housing Weakness Signals the Slowdown Is Spreading," 13 Dec. 2018 The strong second quarter gain is expected to be only a temporary blip. — Martin Crutsinger, Fox News, "US productivity grew at strong 2.9 percent rate in Q2," 15 Aug. 2018 Geologically speaking, three years is hardly a blip, and islands of this kind often don’t last for more than a few months due to ocean erosion. — Jill Kiedaisch, Popular Mechanics, "A Young Island in the South Pacific Oozes Mysteries and Mud," 5 Feb. 2019 But in the scheme of Son’s 300-year plan, 10 years is a blip. — Erin Griffith, WIRED, "SoftBank's Futuristic Vision Fund Takes on the Real (Estate) World," 16 Apr. 2018 The other offseason blip on the Eagles’ offseason radar is the possibility of a White House visit to celebrate their Super Bowl win. — Dom Giordano, Philly.com, "Not ready yet for Eagles' magical season to end | Dom Giordano," 21 Feb. 2018 Seabirds howl like banshees, and seal colonies, numbering in the thousands, bubble and blip among the waves. — Stanley Stewart, Condé Nast Traveler, "Going Off-Grid in Namibia," 21 Dec. 2018 Arlington would like to stop having blips on the football field. — Jayda Evans, The Seattle Times, "Arlington regains focus long enough to knock off Shorewood," 26 Oct. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Construction of single-family homes blipped up 0.1 percent to 894,000. — BostonGlobe.com, "Investors dump GE shares," 17 May 2018 Construction of single-family homes blipped up 0.1 percent to 894,000. — BostonGlobe.com, "Investors dump GE shares," 17 May 2018 Construction of single-family homes blipped up 0.1 percent to 894,000. — BostonGlobe.com, "Investors dump GE shares," 17 May 2018 Construction of single-family homes blipped up 0.1 percent to 894,000. — BostonGlobe.com, "Investors dump GE shares," 17 May 2018 Construction of single-family homes blipped up 0.1 percent to 894,000. — BostonGlobe.com, "Investors dump GE shares," 17 May 2018 Construction of single-family homes blipped up 0.1 percent to 894,000. — BostonGlobe.com, "Investors dump GE shares," 17 May 2018 Construction of single-family homes blipped up 0.1 percent to 894,000. — BostonGlobe.com, "Investors dump GE shares," 17 May 2018 Construction of single-family homes blipped up 0.1 percent to 894,000. — Paul Wiseman, Fox News, "US home building slides 3.7 percent in April," 16 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'blip.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.