whip

[[t](h)wɪ̱p[/t]]

♦♦♦

whips, whipping, whipped

1) N-COUNT A whip is a long thin piece of material such as leather or rope, fastened to a stiff handle. It is used for hitting people or animals.

2) VERB If someone whips a person or animal, they beat them or hit them with a whip or something like a whip.

[V n] Eye-witnesses claimed Mr Melton whipped the horse up to 16 times...

[V n] He was whipped with a studded belt.

Syn:

beat

Derived words:

whipping plural N-COUNT

He threatened to give her a whipping.

3) VERB If something, for example the wind, whips something, it strikes it sharply. [LITERARY]

[V n] A terrible wind whipped our faces...

[V n] A branch whipped her across the cheek.

4) VERB If something flexible whips in a particular way, it moves sharply when it is affected by a force, for example by the wind. [LITERARY]

[V prep/adv] Blond strands of hair whipped in the wind.

5) VERB If someone whips something out or whips it off, they take it out or take it off very quickly and suddenly.

[V n with adv] Bob whipped out his notebook...

[V n with adv] Players were whipping their shirts off...

[V n with adv] My waitress whipped the plate away and put down my bill.

6) VERB If something or someone whips somewhere, they move there or go there very quickly.

[V adv/prep] The wind out here is whipping along at about 30 miles an hour...

[V adv/prep] I whipped into a parking space.

7) VERB When you whip something liquid such as cream or an egg, you stir it very fast until it is thick or stiff.

[V n] Whip the cream until thick...

[V n adv/prep] Whip the eggs, oils and honey together.

[V-ed] ...strawberries and whipped cream.

8) VERB If you whip people into an emotional state, you deliberately cause and encourage them to be in that state.

[V n into n] He could whip a crowd into hysteria...

[V n into n] Politicians and businessmen have whipped themselves into a panic.

9) N-COUNT A whip is a member of a political party in a parliament or legislature who is responsible for making sure that party members are present to vote on important issues and that they vote in the appropriate way.

The Whips have the job of making sure MPs toe the line.

10) N-COUNT A whip is a notice which tells the members of a political party in parliament that it is important for them to vote in a particular way on an important issue. [BRIT]

→ See also three-line whip

11) PHRASE: PHR after v If you have the whip hand, you have power over someone else in a particular situation.

These days the shopper has the whip hand, and will not buy if stores fail to lower their prices.

12) a fair crack of the whip → see crack

Phrasal Verbs:

- whip up