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Meaning & use

tooltip

noun·Everydaycomputing

Last updated

UK/ˈtuːltɪp/
US/ˈtuːltɪp/

Meaning

  1. nouncountablecomputing

    A small box of explanatory text that appears when you hold the pointer over an item on a screen.

    Grammar: Countable: one tooltip, several tooltips.

    Patterns

    • a tooltip for something
    • a tooltip appears

    Hover over the icon and a tooltip will tell you what it does.

    The tooltip showed the full file name.

    I added a tooltip to each button so new users would understand them.

Word forms

pluraltooltips

Common combinations

hover to see a tooltip
Hover to see a tooltip with more detail.
show a tooltip
The page will show a tooltip when you click the question mark.
tooltip text
Keep the tooltip text short and clear.
add a tooltip
Add a tooltip to explain the setting.
a tooltip appears
A tooltip appears after about a second.

Synonyms and how they differ

hint
Hint is a broader word for any piece of help, while a tooltip is a specific pop-up on a screen.
popup
A popup can be any window that opens, while a tooltip is a small label tied to one item.
screentip
Screentip is the term used in some Microsoft programs for the same small label.
label
A label is usually always visible, whereas a tooltip shows only on hover or focus.

Word family

tool noun
something used to do a job
toolbar noun
a row of buttons in a program
tip noun
a small piece of useful advice
hover verb
to rest the pointer over an item

Commonly confused: tooltip or toolbar?

tooltip vs toolbar

A toolbar is a strip of clickable buttons; a tooltip is the small note that explains one of them.

Practice

When I moved the mouse over the button, a ___ popped up and told me what it did.

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “tooltip”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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