quip

1 of 2

noun

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
quippy adjective

quip

2 of 2

verb

quipped; quipping

transitive verb

: to jest or gibe at
quipper noun

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.

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
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

Time Traveler
The first known use of quip was in 1532

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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 noun
1
: a clever remark
2
: a witty or funny saying

quip

2 of 2 verb
quipped; quipping
: to make quips

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