Meaning & use
quip
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Meanings
nouncountable
A short, clever, funny remark, usually said on the spot.
Grammar: Countable: make a quip, a quick quip, several quips.
Patterns
- make a quip about something
- a quip about something
He answered the question with a quick quip that made everyone laugh.
Her quip about the rainy weather lightened the mood.
The host is known for dry quips between songs.
verbtransitive or intransitive
To say something in a short, witty way, often as a reply.
Grammar: Often introduces speech or a that-clause: she quipped that it was a short meeting.
Patterns
- quip that something
- quip about something
"At least the coffee is hot," she quipped.
He quipped that his car was older than the interns.
The comedian quipped about airline food.
Word forms
| plural | quips |
|---|---|
| third person singular | quips |
| past tense | quipped |
| past participle | quipped |
| -ing form | quipping |
Common combinations
- make a quip
- He made a quip about the traffic.
- a witty quip
- A witty quip eased the tension.
- quip that
- She quipped that she had done her homework.
- a quick quip
- With a quick quip, he changed the subject.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- quipster noun
- a person who often makes quips
Commonly confused: quip or quit?
quip vs quit
Quit means to stop or leave. Quip means a witty remark.
Practice
"I'm not late; the meeting started early," she ___.
Choose one answer.
Quipped introduces a witty reply directly. Quit is a different word, and quipped at does not take quoted speech.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “quip”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.