whip
noun/ˈwɪp/ · /ˈʍɪp/
Etymology
From Middle English whippen, wippen (“to flap violently”), from Middle Dutch wippen (“to swing, leap, dance, oscillate”) and Middle Low German wippen (“to move quickly”), from Proto-Germanic *wippōną (“to move back and forth”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weyp- (“to shake; to swing”). (See Swedish vippa and Danish vippe (“to shake”)). The unetymological wh- is probably expressive of the sound of a whip; compare the same development in whisk and onomatopoeias such as whack and whoosh. The political senses are from whipper-in (“huntsman who keeps the hounds from wandering”), from 18th-century hunting terminology.
16 senses
- 1A lash; a pliant, flexible instrument, such as a rod…
- 2The same instrument used to strike a person or animal…
- 3A blow administered with a whip.
- 4A whipper-in.
- 5A member of a political party who is in charge of…
- 6A document distributed weekly to MPs by party whips…
- 7The regular status of an MP within a parliamentary…
- 8Whipped cream.
- 9A purchase in which one block is used to gain a 2:1…
- 10A mode of personal motorized transportation; an…
- 11A move in which one player transfers momentum to another.
- 12A whipping motion; a thrashing about.
- 13The quality of being whiplike or flexible; suppleness…
- 14A spring in certain electrical devices for making a circuit
- 15A wippen, a rocking component in certain piano actions.
- 16A coach driver; a coachman.
A lash; a pliant, flexible instrument, such as a rod (commonly of cane or rattan) or a plaited or braided rope or thong (commonly of leather) used to create a sharp "crack" sound for directing or herding animals.
- I had to use the whip to get the sheep's attention.
The same instrument used to strike a person or animal for corporal punishment or torture.
- Once he ran out of appeals, he knew he would soon feel the sting of the whip.
A blow administered with a whip.
- I had hardly said the word, when Kit jumped into the saddle, and gave his horse a whip and a spur — and off it cantered, as if it were in as great a hurry to be married as Kit himself.1832, The Atheneum, volume 31, page 493:
Hobbies, Hunting, Lifestyle A whipper-in.
- At half-past ten, Tom Moody, Sir Huddlestone Fuddlestone's huntsman, was seen trotting up the avenue, followed by the noble pack of hounds in a compact body—the rear being brought up by the two whips clad in stained scarlet frocks—light hard-featured lads on well-bred lean horses, possessing marvellous dexterity in casting the points of their long heavy whips at the thinnest part of any dog's skin who dares to straggle from the main body […]1847 January – 1848 July, William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair […], London: Bradbury and Evans […], published 1848, →OCLC:
- From the far side of the wood came the long shrill screech […] which signifies that one of the whips has viewed the fox quitting the covert.1928, Siegfried Sassoon, Memoirs of a Fox-Hunting Man, Penguin, published 2013, page 27:
Government, Politics A member of a political party who is in charge of enforcing the party's policies in votes.
- I was going to vote against the bill, but the party whip came to see me and made it clear I needed to vote for it.
- The Conservative deputy chief whip has resigned after admitting he had “embarrassed myself and other people” following reports that he drunkenly groped two men at a private club. Chris Pincher wrote to Boris Johnson saying he was standing down after drinking too much. However, he did not address the allegations that he was reported to the whips by Conservative MPs who had witnessed his behaviour towards two men at the Carlton Club in Piccadilly.2022 June 30, “Tory deputy chief whip resigns after ‘drunkenly groping two men’”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 16 Aug 2022:
1 more example
- Therefore, welcome new Secretary of State for Transport Mark Harper, a man about whom even my esteemed political journalist friends know little - apart from the fact he was once Chief Whip, a job that requires knowing about every Tory MP's misdemeanours.2022 November 16, Christian Wolmar, “Can Merriman use his rail knowledge to make a difference?”, in RAIL, number 970, page 44:
Government, Politics UK, With definite article A document distributed weekly to MPs by party whips informing them of upcoming votes in parliament.
Government, Politics UK, Broadly The regular status of an MP within a parliamentary party, which can be revoked by the party as a disciplinary measure.
- to withdraw the whip
- As a result, he was stripped of the whip on Tuesday, preventing him from voting in the fourth ballot to narrow down candidates to be the next party leader.2022 July 20, Heather Stewart, “Tobias Ellwood temporarily given back Tory whip to vote in leadership contest”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 06 Aug 2022:
1 more example
- In the letter, Hancock said he had spoken to the Conservatives’ chief whip, Simon Hart, last week, and been told the whip would be restored in time, “but that is now not necessary” – meaning he will sit as an independent until the next election.2022 December 7, Peter Walker, “Row grows over Matt Hancock’s announcement he is quitting as MP”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 08 Mar 2023:
Whipped cream.
- Did you want to add some whip to your coffee, ma'am?
A mode of personal motorized transportation; an automobile, all makes and models including motorcycles, excluding public transportation.
African-American Vernacular
- Come on, let's take my whip so we can get there in time.
- Had four bills and I bought me a car / Little red whip that I bought for my marge2015, Stormzy, “Shut Up” (track 15), in Gang Signs & Prayer, performed by Stormzy:
2 more examples
- Big whip I'm underground parking2017, “Return of the Rucksack”, performed by Stormzy, United Kingdom:
- I wanna get a whip and crash it into white-owned businesses2019, “Jesus Is the One (I Got Depression)” (Comedy Hip-Hop), performed by Zack Fox, United States:
A move in which one player transfers momentum to another.
A whipping motion; a thrashing about.
- I was startled by the whip of the rope when it finally snapped.
The quality of being whiplike or flexible; suppleness, as of the shaft of a golf club.
› Any of various pieces that operate with a…
A spring in certain electrical devices for making a circuit
Entertainment, Lifestyle, Music A wippen, a rocking component in certain piano actions.
Historical A coach driver; a coachman.
- Lord Carington […] led the way with his chestnuts, having a distinguished brother whip, Lord Londesborough, by his side.1871, Baily's Magazine of Sports & Pastimes, volume 20, page 308:
- Synonyms
- crop, dressage whip, driving whip, jumping bat, flail, knout, lash, quirt, scourge, sjambok, thong, cat, cat-o'-nine-tails, party whip
- Derived terms
54 terms
bullock-whip, bullwhip, carpet whip, chain whip, coachwhip, crack-the-whip, crack the whip, double-line whip, Eastwood's whip lizard, fair crack of the whipdogwhip, horsewhip, hose-whip, hunting whip, Irish whip, knight of the whip, laser whip, misery whip, one-line whip, pencil whip, penny whip, pop-the-whip, riding whip, sea whip coral, sea whip, sea-whip, sennet whip, signal whip, single-line whip, smart as a whip, snakewhip, snap-the-whip, stockwhip, three-line whip, two-line whip, weed whip, whip and spur, whip appeal, whip coral, whipcracking, whip cream, whip gin, whip graft, whip grafting, whip hand, whip kick, whiplash, whip pan, whip scorpion, whip-smart, whip spider, whip stitch, whip-tom-kelly, whip top, whip zoom- Related terms
- whip snake
- Hyponyms
- buggy whip, bullwhip, coachwhip, crop, dogwhip, drafting whip, horsewhip, longe whip, party whip, riding crop, signal whip, signalwhip, snake whip, snakewhip, stockwhip, yard whip