Meaning & use

lip out

verb, noun·Advancedsport

Last updated

UK/ˌlɪp ˈaʊt/
US/ˌlɪp ˈaʊt/

Meanings

  1. verbintransitivesport

    in golf, to hit the edge of the hole and roll away instead of going in

    Grammar: Used without an object, often in the phrase 'lip out'. The past tense is 'lipped out'.

    Patterns

    • the ball lipped out
    • lip out of the hole

    His putt lipped out of the hole, so he had to settle for a par.

    The ball lipped out on the final hole, costing him the tournament.

    She watched in disbelief as her birdie attempt lipped out.

  2. nouncountablesport

    a shot in golf that touches the edge of the hole but does not go in

    Grammar: Used as a countable noun, often after 'a'. The plural is 'lip-outs'.

    Patterns

    • a lip-out
    • suffer a lip-out

    He had three lip-outs in a row, which was very frustrating.

    That lip-out on the 18th hole changed the whole match.

Word forms

third person singularlips out
past tenselipped out
past participlelipped out
-ing formlipping out
plurallip-outs

Common combinations

lip out of the hole
The ball lipped out of the hole and stopped inches away.
a lip-out on the last hole
A lip-out on the last hole cost him the championship.
the putt lipped out
The putt lipped out, leaving him with a tap-in.
suffer a lip-out
She suffered a lip-out on the 9th but still made the cut.

Synonyms and how they differ

rim out
Used in basketball and other sports when the ball hits the rim and bounces out; not used in golf.

Opposites

Word family

lip noun
the edge of a hole or opening

Commonly confused: lip out or lip out?

lip out vs lip out

Do not confuse with 'lip out' meaning to move your lips outward, which is rare and not a standard phrase.

Practice

The golfer's ball ______ the hole and rolled past, so he missed the birdie.

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