blip

1 of 2

noun

ˈblip 

1

: a trace on a display screen (such as an oscilloscope)

especially : a spot on a radar screen

2

: a short crisp sound

3

: an interruption of the sound received in a radio or television program or occurring in a recording as a result of blipping

4

: a transient sharp movement up or down (as of a quantity commonly shown on a graph)

5

: something relatively small or inconsequential within a larger context

made only a blip on the political scene

blip

2 of 2

verb

blipped; blipping

transitive verb

: to remove (recorded sound) from a recording so that there is an interruption of the sound in the reproduction

a censor blipped the swear words

Examples of blip in a Sentence

Noun

The approaching ship appeared as a blip on the screen.

the blips, buzzes, and bleeps of a video game

The company's financial problems were just a temporary blip.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

This back injury is just a blip, relatively speaking. —Jeff Fletcher, Orange County Register, 9 Sep. 2024

Why Harbor Springs is the Best Small Lake Town in the U.S. for 2024 Measuring just 1.3 square miles on the furthest reaches of Lake Michigan, the town of Harbor Springs barely qualifies as a radar blip, even for lifelong Midwesterners. —Staff Author Published, Travel + Leisure, 5 Sep. 2024

Verb

Watching them blip along to the music is a fun retro touch. —Chris Haslam, WIRED, 9 Aug. 2024

Again and again, followed by hard braking—courtesy of Wilwood—and a downshift or two after a bit of throttle blipping to rev match. —Michael Van Runkle, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

imitative

First Known Use

Noun

1945, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1968, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

blip

noun

ˈblip

: a spot on a screen

a radar blip