1
a
: a clever usually taunting remark : gibe
b
: a witty or funny observation or response usually made on the spur of the moment
2
3
: something strange, droll, curious, or eccentric : oddity
quipped; quipping
: to jest or gibe at
Did you know?
Quip is a shortening of quippy, a noun that is no longer in use. Etymologists believe that quippy came from Latin quippe, a word meaning "indeed" or "to be sure" that was often used ironically.
Synonyms
Examples of quip in a Sentence
Noun
They traded quips over a beer.
has his share of the quips that seem to come with a title of nobility
Verb
she rolled her eyes at her brother's bragging and quipped, “You're a legend in your own mind, all right”
Recent Examples on the Web
Tim Chan, Billboard, 15 Apr. 2024
The debate stage is an arena of quips, slogans and attacks ― with varying degrees of truth.
—Kayla Dwyer, The Indianapolis Star, 28 Mar. 2024
Proximity to power gave Mr. Greenfield a stock of quips and anecdotes.
—Alex Traub, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2024
Franklyn, 31, is known for her quick quips, not-so-kosher dating advice and, of course, her podcasting.
—Julia MacCary, Peoplemag, 19 Mar. 2024
In this quick quip, veteran Irish producer Tristan Orpen Lynch sums up so much about his home country’s movie business right now.
—Becky Lucas, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Mar. 2024
And Van Ness, who uses they/he/she pronouns, is beloved for their silly quips and joyous, over-the-top personality.
—Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 5 Mar. 2024
The White House also blasted Hur's quips about Biden's memory, calling those portions inaccurate and inappropriate.
—Josh Meyer, USA TODAY, 8 Feb. 2024
Duffy seemed to love the joke — answering with laughter and a playful quip about his hotel room number.
—Kelly Wynne, Peoplemag, 18 Mar. 2024
George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2024
Tributes came in from Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda, John McEnroe, Kelly Slater, and Bon Jovi, who quipped that only a true rock star flies his plane to his concerts.
—Kevin Jeffrey, SPIN, 12 Apr. 2024
One person quipped that New York City is the worst place to experience an earthquake because New Yorkers take nothing seriously.
—Kalhan Rosenblatt, NBC News, 5 Apr. 2024
Mendelson quipped, suggesting the council might send the budget to Congress without Lee’s support — raising the temperature on what is expected to continue to be a major disagreement as the council continues to review the budget.
—Michael Brice-Saddler, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2024
The Register quips that 2024 might actually be the fabled year of Linux on the desktop after all, in China at least.
—David Meyer, Fortune, 25 Mar. 2024
Asked about the show’s message, Ellie, 12, quipped that viewers should take a page from Cady’s book and spend most of high school hiding out in Kenya.
—Karen D'souza, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2024
Portman also won a best actress Golden Globe for the role and even quipped about their relationship in her acceptance speech.
—Lexy Perez, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2024
Meyers quipped that this year’s segment was even better, largely because Adelaide was another year older.
—Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 2 Mar. 2024
Noun
What followed was a nostalgic journey through some of Carey’s biggest hits, each in chronological order of when they were released, and many accompanied by a story or quip about how the song came to be.
—Tim Chan, Billboard, 15 Apr. 2024
The debate stage is an arena of quips, slogans and attacks ― with varying degrees of truth.
—Kayla Dwyer, The Indianapolis Star, 28 Mar. 2024
Proximity to power gave Mr. Greenfield a stock of quips and anecdotes.
—Alex Traub, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2024
Franklyn, 31, is known for her quick quips, not-so-kosher dating advice and, of course, her podcasting.
—Julia MacCary, Peoplemag, 19 Mar. 2024
In this quick quip, veteran Irish producer Tristan Orpen Lynch sums up so much about his home country’s movie business right now.
—Becky Lucas, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Mar. 2024
And Van Ness, who uses they/he/she pronouns, is beloved for their silly quips and joyous, over-the-top personality.
—Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 5 Mar. 2024
The White House also blasted Hur's quips about Biden's memory, calling those portions inaccurate and inappropriate.
—Josh Meyer, USA TODAY, 8 Feb. 2024
Duffy seemed to love the joke — answering with laughter and a playful quip about his hotel room number.
—Kelly Wynne, Peoplemag, 18 Mar. 2024
Verb
Joel quipped as Sting strolled on to the enormous stage, which stretched across much of Petco Park’s right and center fields.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2024
Tributes came in from Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda, John McEnroe, Kelly Slater, and Bon Jovi, who quipped that only a true rock star flies his plane to his concerts.
—Kevin Jeffrey, SPIN, 12 Apr. 2024
One person quipped that New York City is the worst place to experience an earthquake because New Yorkers take nothing seriously.
—Kalhan Rosenblatt, NBC News, 5 Apr. 2024
Mendelson quipped, suggesting the council might send the budget to Congress without Lee’s support — raising the temperature on what is expected to continue to be a major disagreement as the council continues to review the budget.
—Michael Brice-Saddler, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2024
The Register quips that 2024 might actually be the fabled year of Linux on the desktop after all, in China at least.
—David Meyer, Fortune, 25 Mar. 2024
Asked about the show’s message, Ellie, 12, quipped that viewers should take a page from Cady’s book and spend most of high school hiding out in Kenya.
—Karen D'souza, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2024
Portman also won a best actress Golden Globe for the role and even quipped about their relationship in her acceptance speech.
—Lexy Perez, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2024
Meyers quipped that this year’s segment was even better, largely because Adelaide was another year older.
—Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 2 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'quip.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near quip
Cite this Entry
“Quip.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quip. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
quip
1 of 2 noun1
: a clever remark
2
: a witty or funny saying
quip
2 of 2 verb
quipped; quipping
: to make quips
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