What does "lip" mean?
Either of the two fleshy protrusions around the opening of the mouth.
Lip
/lɪp/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Either of the two fleshy protrusions around the opening of the mouth.
- Grammar: lip is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: backtalk, rim, sass, aerophone.
- Useful contrasts: avoid, deference, obey.
- Usage evidence: There's many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip.
How to use "lip"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "lip" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "lip" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "lip" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "lip" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "lip" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "backtalk" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "lip", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Either of the two fleshy protrusions around the opening of the mouth. countable
"[…]thine owne lippes teſtifie againſt thee."
- 2 Abbreviation of large igneous province. abbreviation, alt-of
- 3 either the outer margin or the inner margin of the aperture of a gastropod's shell wordnet
- 4 A part of the body that resembles a lip, such as the edge of a wound or the labia. countable
"[…]I twiſted my thighs, ſqueezed, and compreſs’d the lips of that virgin-ſlit[…]"
- 5 Abbreviation of litigant in person. abbreviation, alt-of
Show 13 more definitions
- 6 the top edge of a vessel or other container wordnet
- 7 The projecting rim of an open container or a bell, etc.; a short open spout. broadly, countable
"The cork sails over the garden wall and lands somewhere no one can see it. A crest of white spills over the lip of the bottle and Niall pours the wine into Elaine's glass."
- 8 either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking wordnet
- 9 Backtalk; verbal impertinence. slang, uncountable
"Don’t give me any lip!"
- 10 an impudent or insolent rejoinder wordnet
- 11 The edge of a high spot of land. countable, uncountable
"We landed at the head of Garden Island, which is situated near the middle of the river and on the lip of the Falls. On reaching that lip, and peering over the giddy height, the wondrous and unique character of the magnificent cascade at once burst upon us."
- 12 (botany) either of the two parts of a bilabiate corolla or calyx wordnet
- 13 The sharp cutting edge on the end of an auger. countable, uncountable
- 14 One of the two opposite divisions of a labiate corolla. countable, uncountable
- 15 A distinctive lower-appearing of the three true petals of an orchid. countable, uncountable
- 16 One of the edges of the aperture of a univalve shell. countable, uncountable
- 17 Embouchure: the condition or strength of a wind instrumentalist's lips. colloquial, countable, uncountable
- 18 Clipping of lipstick. abbreviation, alt-of, clipping, colloquial, countable, uncountable
"I put on some red lip and a casual print dress."
Verb
- 1 To touch or grasp with the lips; to kiss; to lap the lips against (something). transitive
"[…] a hand that Kings / Haue lipt, and trembled kiſſing."
- 2 To touch lightly. figuratively, transitive
"He moved the boat onward very slowly, lipping the glossy surface delicately with the light oars."
- 3 To wash against a surface, lap. intransitive, transitive
"It was very soothing and restful up there on the saloon deck, with no sound but the gentle lipping of the water as it rippled against the sides of the steamer."
- 4 To rise or flow up to or over the edge of something. intransitive
"Below, the swollen Eden, lipping full from bank to bank, rolled yellow and surly to the sea."
- 5 To form the rim, edge or margin of something. transitive
"[…] old Macrae, of Adrfeulan Farm near by, had caused rude steps to be cut in the funnel-like hollow rising sheer up from the sloping ledge that lipped the chasm and reached the summit of the scaur."
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 To utter verbally. transitive
"Salt tears were coming, when I heard my name / Most fondly lipp’d […]"
- 7 To simulate speech by moving the lips without making any sound; to mouth. transitive
"“Ah, I thought my memory didn’t deceive me!” he lipped silently."
- 8 To make a golf ball hit the lip of the cup, without dropping in.
"“I shall find the ball to the left of a patch of sword grass near the hole,” he said. “My second will lip the hole, I know it as well as if I could see the whole thing.”"
- 9 To change the sound of (a musical note played on a wind instrument) by moving or tensing the lips. transitive
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"There's many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "lip"?
Common synonyms include: backtalk, rim, sass, aerophone, answer back, articulate.
How do you use "lip" in a sentence?
There's many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip.
How do you pronounce "lip"?
Pronounced /lɪp/.
Etymology
From Middle English lippe, from Old English lippa, lippe (“lip”), from Proto-West Germanic *lippjō (“lip”), from Proto-Germanic *lepô, from Proto-Indo-European *leb- (“to hang loosely, droop, sag”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Lippe (“lip”), West Frisian lippe (“lip”), Dutch lip (“lip”), German Lippe and Lefze (“lip”), Low German Lippe (“lip”), Luxembourgish Lëps (“lip”), Vilamovian łyp (“lip”), Yiddish ליפּ (lip, “lip”), Danish læbe (“lip”), Norwegian Bokmål leppe (“lip”), Norwegian Nynorsk leppa, leppe, lippa, lippe (“lip”), Swedish läpp (“lip”), Latin labium (“lip”).