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: either of two fleshy folds that surround the mouth in humans and many other vertebrates and are organs of human speech essential to certain articulations
also
: the red or pinkish margin of the human lip
lipped; lipping
Synonyms
Example Sentences
Noun
He had a cut on his lip.
She was nervously biting her lip.
the lips of a wound
the lip of a crater
the lip of a pitcher
Adjective
part of the ritual of the awards ceremony is the nominee's lip praise for the performances of his or her competitors
Verb
the waves, reflecting the red glow of the sunset, gently lipped the prow
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Recent Examples on the Web
Samantha Jones, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Jan. 2023
The two were known for their funny lip-syncing videos and sweet family dynamic before Brice landed a role on the NBC sitcom Lopez vs. Lopez with George Lopez.
—Vanessa Etienne, Peoplemag, 26 Jan. 2023
Feel fresh all day long courtesy of Megababe’s clean deodorant, and for night, lather on Laneige’s beloved lip sleeping mask.
—Laura Jackson, Vogue, 13 Oct. 2022
Sydney Sweeney has been using this culty overnight lip mask since her college years, and at 30 percent off, now's the perfect time to add it to your nightly rotation too.
—Halie Lesavage, Harper's BAZAAR, 12 Oct. 2022
Take your day from drab to fab just by applying KNC's under-eye or lip mask.
—Good Housekeeping, 22 Aug. 2022
Ustawi will introduce your skin to an African superfruit called baobab fruit in moisturizer form, while açaí appears in Mario Badescu's new lip mask.
—Devon Abelman, Allure, 16 Aug. 2022
First up, the viral lip mask that shoppers, editors, and celebrities can't get enough of.
—Claire Harmeyer, PEOPLE.com, 30 July 2022
Joining queens Tiffany Fantasia and Elishaly D’witshes, the former boyband member ditched the usual drag lip-syncing approach and went full-concert mode.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 9 Jan. 2023
Gabi Thorne, Allure, 15 Sep. 2020
Turns out, post-lip augmentation dryness is a strange phenomenon that people don't seem to tell their dermatologists about.
—Devon Abelman, Allure, 10 Sep. 2020
Morrison told Fox News that the man's lip size, and the height and width of his mouth were accurately recreated by measuring the enamel of the skeleton's teeth.
—Fox News, 29 May 2020
Every lip gloss, lip liner, and eyeshadow comes in six color options, so there is plenty to choose from depending on your personal preferences.
—Christina Butan, PEOPLE.com, 12 Dec. 2019
When the collection officially goes on sale in September, fans will be able to buy the lip gloss, lip liner, and all-over color pigments exclusively on Amazon.
—Jenna Rosenstein, Harper's BAZAAR, 9 July 2019
In an exclusive interview with Business of Fashion, the singer revealed that the collection will include makeup kits that combine lip gloss, lip liner, and all-over color.
—Vogue, 9 July 2019
The collection includes four lipsticks, two lip pencils, three liquid lipcolours, three lip glasses, an eyeshadow palette, and an extra dimension skin finish.
—Houston Chronicle, 7 Apr. 2020
This time around, the dynamic duo is giving us much more than lip kits.
—Angela Trakoshis, Allure, 24 Mar. 2020
Meaghan Kenny, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Dec. 2022
Dallas divas will lip-sync their hearts out during brunch at the Commons Club, the restaurant inside the Design District hotel.
—Dallas News, 2 June 2022
Fans are poring over the book stacks, sleep sprays and lip balms for insight into the tastes and psyches of some of the world’s most famous people.
—Lane Florsheim, WSJ, 1 Dec. 2022
As for other formulas, Talei warns that some ointments can cause dependency; hyaluronic acid gels can draw out moisture in some people; lip plumpers, while great for special occasions, can be irritating.
—Jessica Ourisman, Allure, 18 Dec. 2022
This particular offering has a silicone interior and lip rest, making drinking cool drinks more comfortable and less metallic-tasting.
—Mark Stock, Men's Health, 14 Dec. 2022
The 24-ounce cup is large enough to make servings for one or two people and doubles as a travel cup thanks to the included to-go lid and lip ring.
—Jonathan Bender, Popular Mechanics, 28 Nov. 2022
Victoria ultimately won the ball in a shared victory with RuPaul's Drag Race season 11 and All Stars 6 queen Silky Nutmeg Ganache, who lip-synced against her UK sister to become the top international all-star of the week.
—Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 3 Dec. 2022
Beauty lovers are flocking to these early Cyber Monday deals on everything from hair dryers and perfume to lip masks and face serums.
—Casey Clark, Peoplemag, 25 Nov. 2022
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Noun
Pucker up with this ultra-hydrating lip mask that provides a gentle shine.
—Samantha Jones, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Jan. 2023
The two were known for their funny lip-syncing videos and sweet family dynamic before Brice landed a role on the NBC sitcom Lopez vs. Lopez with George Lopez.
—Vanessa Etienne, Peoplemag, 26 Jan. 2023
Feel fresh all day long courtesy of Megababe’s clean deodorant, and for night, lather on Laneige’s beloved lip sleeping mask.
—Laura Jackson, Vogue, 13 Oct. 2022
Sydney Sweeney has been using this culty overnight lip mask since her college years, and at 30 percent off, now's the perfect time to add it to your nightly rotation too.
—Halie Lesavage, Harper's BAZAAR, 12 Oct. 2022
Take your day from drab to fab just by applying KNC's under-eye or lip mask.
—Good Housekeeping, 22 Aug. 2022
Ustawi will introduce your skin to an African superfruit called baobab fruit in moisturizer form, while açaí appears in Mario Badescu's new lip mask.
—Devon Abelman, Allure, 16 Aug. 2022
First up, the viral lip mask that shoppers, editors, and celebrities can't get enough of.
—Claire Harmeyer, PEOPLE.com, 30 July 2022
Joining queens Tiffany Fantasia and Elishaly D’witshes, the former boyband member ditched the usual drag lip-syncing approach and went full-concert mode.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 9 Jan. 2023
Adjective
The Lip Bar is joining the lot with its first-ever, non-lip product, a bronzer-blush duo called Fresh Glow.
—Gabi Thorne, Allure, 15 Sep. 2020
Turns out, post-lip augmentation dryness is a strange phenomenon that people don't seem to tell their dermatologists about.
—Devon Abelman, Allure, 10 Sep. 2020
Morrison told Fox News that the man's lip size, and the height and width of his mouth were accurately recreated by measuring the enamel of the skeleton's teeth.
—Fox News, 29 May 2020
Every lip gloss, lip liner, and eyeshadow comes in six color options, so there is plenty to choose from depending on your personal preferences.
—Christina Butan, PEOPLE.com, 12 Dec. 2019
When the collection officially goes on sale in September, fans will be able to buy the lip gloss, lip liner, and all-over color pigments exclusively on Amazon.
—Jenna Rosenstein, Harper's BAZAAR, 9 July 2019
In an exclusive interview with Business of Fashion, the singer revealed that the collection will include makeup kits that combine lip gloss, lip liner, and all-over color.
—Vogue, 9 July 2019
The collection includes four lipsticks, two lip pencils, three liquid lipcolours, three lip glasses, an eyeshadow palette, and an extra dimension skin finish.
—Houston Chronicle, 7 Apr. 2020
This time around, the dynamic duo is giving us much more than lip kits.
—Angela Trakoshis, Allure, 24 Mar. 2020
Verb
Treat the beauty and skincare lover in your life to a fun gift set, like the Burt's Bees lip care set or the Clarins Holiday Sparkle gift set.
—Meaghan Kenny, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Dec. 2022
Dallas divas will lip-sync their hearts out during brunch at the Commons Club, the restaurant inside the Design District hotel.
—Dallas News, 2 June 2022
Fans are poring over the book stacks, sleep sprays and lip balms for insight into the tastes and psyches of some of the world’s most famous people.
—Lane Florsheim, WSJ, 1 Dec. 2022
As for other formulas, Talei warns that some ointments can cause dependency; hyaluronic acid gels can draw out moisture in some people; lip plumpers, while great for special occasions, can be irritating.
—Jessica Ourisman, Allure, 18 Dec. 2022
This particular offering has a silicone interior and lip rest, making drinking cool drinks more comfortable and less metallic-tasting.
—Mark Stock, Men's Health, 14 Dec. 2022
The 24-ounce cup is large enough to make servings for one or two people and doubles as a travel cup thanks to the included to-go lid and lip ring.
—Jonathan Bender, Popular Mechanics, 28 Nov. 2022
Victoria ultimately won the ball in a shared victory with RuPaul's Drag Race season 11 and All Stars 6 queen Silky Nutmeg Ganache, who lip-synced against her UK sister to become the top international all-star of the week.
—Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 3 Dec. 2022
Beauty lovers are flocking to these early Cyber Monday deals on everything from hair dryers and perfume to lip masks and face serums.
—Casey Clark, Peoplemag, 25 Nov. 2022
See More
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lip.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English, from Old English lippa; akin to Old High German leffur lip and probably to Latin labium, labrum lip
Combining form
New Latin, from Greek, from lipos — more at leave
First Known Use
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Adjective
1558, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1589, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of lip was
before the 12th century
Phrases Containing lip
Articles Related to lip
Dictionary Entries Near lip
Cite this Entry
“Lip.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lip. Accessed 2 Feb. 2023.
Kids Definition
Medical Definition
lip
noun1
: either of the two fleshy folds which surround the opening of the mouth in humans and many other vertebrates and in humans are organs of speech essential to certain articulations
also
: the pinkish or reddish margin of a human lip composed of nonglandular mucous membrane and usually exposed when the mouth takes on its natural set
More from Merriam-Webster on lip
Nglish: Translation of lip for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of lip for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about lip
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