quip

1 of 2

noun

1
a
: a clever usually taunting remark : gibe
b
: a witty or funny observation or response usually made on the spur of the moment
2
3
: something strange, droll, curious, or eccentric : oddity
quippy adjective

quip

2 of 2

verb

quipped; quipping

transitive verb

: to jest or gibe at
quipper noun

Did you know?

To tweak a well-known line from Hamlet, brevity is the soul of quip. While jokes are often brief stories with setups followed by surprising and funny endings (chickens crossing roads, elephant footprints in the butter, etc.) quips are even briefer, and not so planned or scripted. They are more likely to arise naturally in conversation when someone is especially quick-witted, firing off zingers, retorts, or—if you want to get extra fancy about it—bon mots. Brevity also plays a role in quip's etymology: quip is a shortening of quippy, a now-obsolete noun of the same meaning. Quippy's origins are uncertain, but they may lie in the Latin word quippe, meaning "indeed" or "to be sure," which was often used ironically. Quip entered English as a noun in the 1500s, but was verbified within decades; the verb quip means "to make quips" or "to jest or jibe at."

Examples of quip in a Sentence

Noun They traded quips over a beer. has his share of the quips that seem to come with a title of nobility Verb she rolled her eyes at her brother's bragging and quipped, “You're a legend in your own mind, all right”
Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
But instead of a brief response that many NFL fans have become familiar with, Belichick responded with a quip about his recent book. Paulina Dedaj, FOXNews.com, 11 June 2025 An early Super 70s fan, installed in the front row, queasily yearned for quips about the days of dirt bikes and cigarette machines, or even for those days themselves. Nick Paumgarten, New Yorker, 19 May 2025
Verb
One of those was a visit from Hall of Fame Cubs pitcher Fergie Jenkins, an admittedly tough sell for her grandfather, a White Sox fan, Anderson quipped. Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 21 June 2025 The King just quipped with a veteran about his old age, and dropped a secret to living a long life. Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 10 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for quip

Word History

Etymology

Noun

earlier quippy, perhaps from Latin quippe indeed, to be sure (often ironic), from quid what — more at quiddity

First Known Use

Noun

1532, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1579, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of quip was in 1532

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Cite this Entry

“Quip.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quip. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

quip

1 of 2 noun
1
: a clever remark
2
: a witty or funny saying

quip

2 of 2 verb
quipped; quipping
: to make quips

More from Merriam-Webster on quip

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