drip

¹

[drip]

verb (used without object)

dripped, dript, dripping. 

1. to let drops fall; shed drops.

   This faucet drips.

2. to fall in drops, as a liquid.

   Synonyms: drizzle, sprinkle, leak, dribble, trickle

verb (used with object)

dripped, dript, dripping. 

1. to let fall in drops.

noun

1. an act of dripping.

2. liquid that drips.

3. the sound made by falling drops.

   the irritating drip of a faucet.

4. Slang.,  an unattractive, boring, or colorless person.

5. (in house painting) the accumulation of solidified drops of paint at the bottom of a painted surface.

6. Architecture, Building Trades.,  any device, as a molding, for shedding rainwater to keep it from running down a wall, falling onto the sill of an opening, etc.

7. a pipe for draining off condensed steam from a radiator, heat exchanger, etc.

8. Medicine/Medical.,  intravenous drip.

9. Slang.,  maudlin sentimentality.

DRIP

²

[dee-ahr-ahy-pee, drip]

abbreviation

Business, Finance.

1. dividend reinvestment plan: a program under which investors opt to have their dividends automatically applied to the purchase of more shares in the company, increasing their investment while avoiding commission charges.

drip

/ drɪp /

verb

1. to fall or let fall in drops

noun

1. the formation and falling of drops of liquid

2. the sound made by falling drops

3. architect a projection at the front lower edge of a sill or cornice designed to throw water clear of the wall below

4. informal,  an inane, insipid person

5. med

   1. the usually intravenous drop-by-drop administration of a therapeutic solution, as of salt or sugar

   2. the solution administered

   3. the equipment used to administer a solution in this way

Other Word Forms

• nondrip adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of drip¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English dryppe, Old English dryppan; drop

Origin of drip²

First recorded in 1975–80

Word History and Origins

Origin of drip¹

Old English dryppan, from dropa _drop

Example Sentences

Drip by drip, appointments were fed out through the afternoon.

From BBC

The plants are growing lustily in late summer, although Kolding only waters them once a week on Saturdays for a hour with drip irrigation.

From Los Angeles Times

Medical teams triaged evacuees in a car park, wrapping up wounds and stringing up bags of saline for IV drips under tents.

From BBC

Families exited red-eyed, tears dripping down their cheeks after getting only a few minutes with their loved ones.

From Los Angeles Times

Similarly, they taught themselves how to install drip irrigation, select native plants and design their garden using resources such as the Waterwise Garden Planner and Calscape websites.

From Los Angeles Times