Copy Citation
You know what it looks like… but what is it called?
TAKE THE QUIZ1
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
Example Sentences
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
Pat Myers, Washington Post, 29 Sep. 2022
Trump made a similar quip last month about Dingell, who died in February, at a rally in Dingell's home state of Michigan.
—William Cummings, USA TODAY, 18 June 2019
In response to the quip, anchor Bret Baier equated Democrats accepting Biden despite the verbal slip-ups to about how Republicans feel toward Trump.
—Mike Brest, Washington Examiner, 9 Mar. 2020
And the second Victoria and Peter uttered those regrettable quips, Twitter was all over it.
—Martha Sorren, refinery29.com, 3 Feb. 2020
The Prince has been loaded with charming quips lately.
—Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, 21 June 2018
Viewers laughed with the choir’s self-deprecating quips, not at LGBTQ people.
—Judy Berman, Time, 10 Feb. 2020
Rosenstein’s quip brought the prosecutorial team up short.
—James Bandler, ProPublica, 25 Mar. 2020
Teigen suffered no fools, however, responding to the comment with a quip of her own.
—Cady Lang, Time, 2 Jan. 2020
Greg Moore, The Arizona Republic, 17 Feb. 2023
Throwaway characters give Batman a hard time for being so intense (the way a moviegoing friend might quip between bites of popcorn).
—Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, 28 Feb. 2022
Spotify reported a 69 percent increase in podcast uploads during March; last month, the comedian Hanna Dickinson quipped on Twitter about Amazon being sold out of the requisite mics.
—New York Times, 7 May 2020
During the White House coronavirus briefing on Friday, Trump quipped that Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, should move back to New York to run against the first-term liberal star.
—Madison Dibble, Washington Examiner, 10 Apr. 2020
Bloomberg quipped during a discussion on economic policy.
—John Verhovek
And, ABC News, 19 Feb. 2020
Morgan quipped during his exit announcement, reported by Reuters.
—Diane J. Cho, PEOPLE.com, 6 Dec. 2019
Chappelle quipped during his 2004 stand-up special.
—Elahe Izadi, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2019
This is another half-thunk thought from my book of just-for-fun cartoons and quips, Half-thunk Thoughts and Half-fast Drawings.
—J.d. Crowe | Jdcrowe@al.com, al, 5 May 2020
See More
Noun
Derive excrement joke, Send your quip to the Empress, win a bad prize.
—Pat Myers, Washington Post, 29 Sep. 2022
Trump made a similar quip last month about Dingell, who died in February, at a rally in Dingell's home state of Michigan.
—William Cummings, USA TODAY, 18 June 2019
In response to the quip, anchor Bret Baier equated Democrats accepting Biden despite the verbal slip-ups to about how Republicans feel toward Trump.
—Mike Brest, Washington Examiner, 9 Mar. 2020
And the second Victoria and Peter uttered those regrettable quips, Twitter was all over it.
—Martha Sorren, refinery29.com, 3 Feb. 2020
The Prince has been loaded with charming quips lately.
—Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, 21 June 2018
Viewers laughed with the choir’s self-deprecating quips, not at LGBTQ people.
—Judy Berman, Time, 10 Feb. 2020
Rosenstein’s quip brought the prosecutorial team up short.
—James Bandler, ProPublica, 25 Mar. 2020
Teigen suffered no fools, however, responding to the comment with a quip of her own.
—Cady Lang, Time, 2 Jan. 2020
Verb
Durant has used his social media to quip back, reminding everyone that Barkley teamed up with Clyde Drexler, Scottie Pippen and Hakeem Olajuwon in Houston after his time in Phoenix.
—Greg Moore, The Arizona Republic, 17 Feb. 2023
Throwaway characters give Batman a hard time for being so intense (the way a moviegoing friend might quip between bites of popcorn).
—Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, 28 Feb. 2022
Spotify reported a 69 percent increase in podcast uploads during March; last month, the comedian Hanna Dickinson quipped on Twitter about Amazon being sold out of the requisite mics.
—New York Times, 7 May 2020
During the White House coronavirus briefing on Friday, Trump quipped that Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, should move back to New York to run against the first-term liberal star.
—Madison Dibble, Washington Examiner, 10 Apr. 2020
Bloomberg quipped during a discussion on economic policy.
—John Verhovek
And, ABC News, 19 Feb. 2020
Morgan quipped during his exit announcement, reported by Reuters.
—Diane J. Cho, PEOPLE.com, 6 Dec. 2019
Chappelle quipped during his 2004 stand-up special.
—Elahe Izadi, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2019
This is another half-thunk thought from my book of just-for-fun cartoons and quips, Half-thunk Thoughts and Half-fast Drawings.
—J.d. Crowe | Jdcrowe@al.com, al, 5 May 2020
See More
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'quip.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
earlier quippy, perhaps from Latin quippe indeed, to be sure (often ironic), from quid what — more at quiddity
First Known Use
Noun
1532, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb
1579, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense
Podcast
Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP
Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!
Dictionary Entries Near quip
Cite this Entry
“Quip.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quip. Accessed 21 Mar. 2023.
Kids 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
More from Merriam-Webster on quip
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
-
- Before we went to her house, Hannah told us her aunt was a flibbertigibbet.
Can you make 12 words with 7 letters?
PLAY
Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
-
Are You Feeling Lucky?
A charming quiz about fortunate and unfortunate w...
Take the quiz
-
Famous Novels, First Lines Quiz
Can you identify these novels by their famous fir...
Take the quiz
-
Name That Thing
You know what it looks like… but what is it cal...
Take the quiz
-
Spelling Bee Quiz
Can you outdo past winners of the National Spelli...
Take the quiz
Share