Tip-Ex

Meanings

1. 1noununcountabletrademarkBritish

   A British brand of white liquid that you paint over writing mistakes so you can write on top of it.

   Grammar: Uncountable; no plural. Say 'a bottle of Tip-Ex' not 'a Tip-Ex'.

   Patterns

   • a bottle of Tip-Ex
   • use Tip-Ex on something
   • cover something with Tip-Ex

   I made a spelling mistake in my essay, so I covered it with Tip-Ex.

   She keeps a bottle of Tip-Ex in her pencil case.

   The teacher told us not to use Tip-Ex in the exam because it takes too long to dry.

2. 2nouncountabletrademarkBritish

   The white mark or patch left on paper after using this product.

   Grammar: Countable when it means a mark; a Tip-Ex is one patch of white correction fluid.

   Patterns

   • a Tip-Ex on something
   • leave a Tip-Ex

   There was a big Tip-Ex on the page where he had changed his answer.

   You can see two Tip-Exes on the form where she corrected her address.

Common combinations

a bottle of Tip-Ex

He bought a bottle of Tip-Ex from the stationery shop.

use Tip-Ex

Do you mind if I use Tip-Ex on this line?

Tip-Ex stain

There is a Tip-Ex stain on my desk.

run out of Tip-Ex

I've run out of Tip-Ex, so I can't correct this page.

Tip-Ex pen

A Tip-Ex pen is easier to carry than a bottle.

cover something with Tip-Ex

She covered the wrong word with Tip-Ex and wrote the correct one.

Synonyms and how they differ

correction fluid

The general term for any brand of this white liquid; use it when you don't want to name a specific brand.

Wite-Out

The common American brand name for the same product; use it in US English contexts.

whiteout

Another word for correction fluid, especially in American English; less common than Wite-Out.

Commonly confused: Tip-Ex or Tipp-Ex? Tip-Ex or Wite-Out?

Practice

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