tippet

noun

tip·​pet ˈti-pət 

1

: a long hanging end of cloth attached to a sleeve, cap, or hood

2

: a shoulder cape of fur or cloth often with hanging ends

3

: a long black scarf worn over the robe by Anglican clergymen during morning and evening prayer

4

fishing : a short length of material (such as gut, nylon, or horsehair) attached at the thinnest end of a tapered leader (see leader sense 1e(2)) and used to secure an artificial fly

Examples of tippet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The brown trout of a lifetime that just sipped your fly can shoot down a riffle and bust that delicate 6-pound tippet. —Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 19 June 2025

Line class, tippet class, and length records for Florida-strain fish will still be eligible for records in the largemouth bass category. —Sage Marshall, Field & Stream, 19 June 2024

The second reason for tippets is to accommodate different sizes of flies. —Idaho Statesman, 31 Jan. 2024

However, a short section of fluorocarbon tippet at the end of the leader can help sink a fly just below the surface when fishing emerger or cripple patterns. —Morgan Lyle, Field & Stream, 13 July 2023

Word History

Etymology

Middle English tipet

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for tippet

• pipit
• snippet
• incipit

Kids Definition

tippet

noun

tip·​pet ˈtip-ət 

1

: a long hanging part of a garment (as on a sleeve or cape)

2

: a shoulder cape usually with hanging ends