tipple

1 of 3

verb

tip·​ple ˈti-pəl 

tippled; tippling ˈti-p(ə-)liŋ 

intransitive verb

: to drink liquor especially by habit or to excess

transitive verb

: to drink (liquor) especially continuously in small amounts

tippler

ˈti-p(ə-)lər 

noun

tipple

2 of 3

noun (1)

1

: drink sense 1

2

: drink sense 2

tipple

3 of 3

noun (2)

1

: a place where or an apparatus by which cars (as for coal) are loaded or emptied

2

: a coal-screening plant

Synonyms of tipple

Verb

• drink
• booze

Noun (1)

• drink
• liquor
• alcohol
• booze
• rum
• bottle

Examples of tipple in a Sentence

Verb

I do tipple now and then.

Noun (1)

a single-malt Scotch with a touch of water is his preferred tipple

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

To tipple your way through the local offerings, pull up a seat at Kanazawa Shu-Shu, a welcoming tapas-style bar with about 100 kinds of sake (and a helpful English menu). — Jessica Kozuka, Travel + Leisure, 14 May 2026

People have been tippling there for more than four hundred years, and the wine list has the heft—and the persuasive majesty—of a Gutenberg Bible. — Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 16 Dec. 2024

Noun

Then sink into one of the squidgy bouclé sofas with a tipple – all of the wines offered by the glass there are made by female winemakers. — Ann Lee, TheWeek, 19 Aug. 2026

Be sure to request a history of Scotland’s gin production to garnish your tipple of choice. — Paul Jebara, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

back-formation from obsolete tippler alehouse keeper, from Middle English tipler

Noun (2)

English dialect tipple to tip over, frequentative of English tip entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

1560, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun (1)

1581, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1880, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for tipple

• cripple
• nipple
• ripple
• stipple
• triple
• participle

Kids Definition

tipple

verb

tip·​ple

ˈtip-əl

tippled; tippling

-(ə-)liŋ

: to drink liquor especially by habit

tippler

-(ə-)lər

noun