lips
lips — noun
1. one of the two soft, movable parts of flesh that form the upper and lower edges
one of the two soft, movable parts of flesh that form the upper and lower edges of the mouth and are used for speaking, eating, and showing emotions.
Yuki pressed her lips together and said nothing when the teacher asked who had broken the window.
collocation: press one's lips together (to show anger or restraint)
The cold wind made Kwame's lips dry and cracked during his morning run through the park.
collocation: dry / cracked lips
Mateo kissed his grandmother on the cheek, and her lips curved into a warm smile.
The doctor asked Orla to part her lips so he could look at her sore throat.
collocation: part one's lips (to open the mouth slightly)
Nasrin bit her lower lip nervously while waiting for the exam results to be posted online.
collocation: bite one's lip (to show worry or to stop oneself from speaking)
- press one's lips together
- pursed lips
- part one's lips
- bite one's lip
- dry lips
- chapped lips
- lip balm
- lip gloss
- lip reading
- lip service
Grammar Patterns
possessive + lips
lips + verb
adjective + lips
Usage Note
When describing lip shape or expression, use adjectives like full, thin, dry, chapped, or cracked. Frequently used in possessive constructions (his lips, her lips).
Common Mistakes
2. the shaped edge or short spout of a container, such as a jug, cup, or teapot, th
the shaped edge or short spout of a container, such as a jug, cup, or teapot, that helps liquid pour out smoothly without spilling.
Hugo carefully poured the hot soup from the lip of the pot into the bowl without spilling a single drop.
pattern: the lip of + [container]
The lip of the old ceramic teapot was chipped, so Zainab had to pour the tea very slowly.
Xiaoming wiped the lip of the milk jug before putting it back into the refrigerator.
Water dripped down the lip of the flower vase and left a ring on the polished wooden table.
- the lip of the jug
- the lip of the cup
- chipped lip
- the lip of the pot
- the lip of the vase
Grammar Patterns
the lip of + [container noun]
Usage Note
Distinguish from noun/1: this sense is always singular and refers specifically to containers. The object must be a hollow vessel used for holding liquids.
Common Mistakes
3. talk that is rude, disrespectful, or argumentative, especially when a younger or
talk that is rude, disrespectful, or argumentative, especially when a younger or less powerful person speaks back to someone in authority.
"I don't want any more of your lip, young man," said the coach after Tamar argued about the training drill.
fixed expression: 'don't want any of your lip'
The manager warned the new employee that he would lose his job if he kept giving lip to customers.
collocation: give lip to someone
Nandini's mother sent her to her room for the lip she gave during dinner when asked to finish her vegetables.
- give lip
- cut the lip
- none of your lip
- too much lip
- respect
polite and considerate speech or behaviour toward authority
Grammar Patterns
give someone lip
don't give me any lip
Usage Note
Almost always used in fixed expressions like 'give lip' or 'don't give me any lip.' The person receiving the lip is usually a parent, teacher, boss, or other authority figure. Not used in formal writing.
Common Mistakes
lips — adjective
1. said or done without genuine feeling, commitment, or belief — used especially wh
said or done without genuine feeling, commitment, or belief — used especially when someone claims to support something but does nothing real to back it up.
The company's lip service to environmental issues did not match its actual spending on reducing pollution.
fixed phrase: lip service (insincere verbal support)
Politicians often pay lip service to education reform during elections but fail to fund new programs afterward.
collocation: pay lip service to [something]
Dariush saw through his colleague's lip service and knew that she did not mean a single word of it.
- lip service
- pay lip service
- lip praise
- lip support
Grammar Patterns
lip + [abstract noun, e.g., service, praise, support]
Usage Note
Almost always appears as part of the fixed expressions 'lip service' or 'pay lip service to [something].' The word 'lip' cannot be used alone as an adjective meaning 'insincere' — it must be followed by a noun like 'service,' 'praise,' or 'support.'
Common Mistakes
2. in phonetics, describing a speech sound that is produced by bringing one or both
in phonetics, describing a speech sound that is produced by bringing one or both lips into contact or close proximity with another part of the mouth.
At story time, Hana watched Mr. Adebayo's lips press together for the "b" in "bear" and copied the same lip sound.
domain label: phonetics — lip consonants (bilabial sounds)
The speech therapist asked Kwame to practice the lip sound "m" while holding a small mirror in front of his face.
At a phonetics workshop, Wei-Chieh pressed a finger to his lips and said "baby" to show his classmate the lip sound for "b."
- lip consonant
- lip sound
- lip articulation
Grammar Patterns
lip + [sound/consonant/articulation noun]
Usage Note
This is a technical term used in phonetics and language teaching. In everyday speech, most people say 'labial sound' or 'lip sound' rather than using 'lip' as a standalone adjective. The more common academic term is 'bilabial.'
Common Mistakes
lips — verb
1. to touch something gently with the lips as a soft, brief gesture, often before d
to touch something gently with the lips as a soft, brief gesture, often before drinking or as a light sign of affection.
The old man lipped the rim of his wine glass gently before taking the smallest possible sip.
literary register: used in descriptive or narrative writing
Before leaving for work, Yuki lipped her sleeping baby's forehead with the softest touch.
- lip a glass
- lip the rim
- lip the forehead
Grammar Patterns
lip + [object: glass/forehead/cheek]
Usage Note
A rare literary usage. In everyday English, 'kiss' or 'touch with the lips' is far more common. This sense appears mainly in older novels or poetic descriptions.
Common Mistakes
2. to speak or pronounce words in a quiet or barely audible voice, often by moving
to speak or pronounce words in a quiet or barely audible voice, often by moving the lips with little or no sound.
The singer lipped the words silently during the recording to practice the rhythm without disturbing the microphone.
pattern: lip + [word/phrase] — silently mouthing words
From across the crowded party, Orla lipped the words "call me later" to her friend near the door.
- lip words
- lip a reply
- lip the lyrics
Grammar Patterns
lip + [words/a phrase]
Usage Note
Used when someone forms words with the lips but produces little or no sound, either because they do not want to be heard or because they cannot produce sound.
Common Mistakes
3. to flow gently against a surface — used of waves, water, or other liquids moving
to flow gently against a surface — used of waves, water, or other liquids moving softly along a shoreline, bank, or structure.
The small waves lipped the sandy shore as the sun set over the calm ocean horizon.
literary: waves + lip + shore (gentle water movement)
Water from the rising tide lipped against the wooden posts of the old pier near the harbour.
- waves lip the shore
- water lips the bank
- tide lipping the beach
Grammar Patterns
waves/water + lip + [shore/bank/posts]
water lips at/against + [surface]
Usage Note
A poetic or literary alternative to more common verbs like 'lap,' 'wash,' or 'ripple against.' Only used for gentle, soft contact — not for violent waves.
Common Mistakes
4. in golf, to hit a putt so that the ball rolls along the edge of the cup but does
in golf, to hit a putt so that the ball rolls along the edge of the cup but does not fall in, staying just outside the hole.
Mateo's putt from twelve feet lipped the cup and rolled two painful inches past the hole.
domain label: golf — lip + the cup (ball hits the edge but does not drop)
The golf ball lipped the edge of the hole and stopped right on the rim, leaving the crowd groaning.
- lip the cup
- lip out
- lip the hole
- lipped putt
- rim out
a more common alternative phrase meaning the same thing in golf
- burn the edge
idiomatic golf expression for a putt that comes very close to dropping
- sink
to successfully make the ball fall into the hole
Grammar Patterns
lip + [the cup/hole]
the ball/the putt + lips + out/around
Usage Note
Used almost exclusively in golf commentary and conversation. The ball 'lips out' when it should have gone in by any reasonable guess. Frustration is the typical emotional context.
Common Mistakes
Word family
- lipnounA1
- lippyadjectiveB2
- lip-readverbB2
- lip-syncverbB2
- tight-lippedadjectiveC1
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/2
When referring to the pouring edge of a container, 'lip' suggests a specifically shaped or slightly protruding part, often found on jugs, teapots, and pitchers. 'Rim' is broader — it describes the outer circular boundary of any open container, including cups, glasses, bowls, and even wheels. 'Brim' is most often used for hats and for containers filled to the very top ('full to the brim'). 'Edge' is the most general term and can apply to any boundary. 'Spout' is the most specific: it refers to a tube or projecting lip designed explicitly for pouring, like the spout of a teapot or watering can. For a learner, choose 'lip' when the container has a small shaped pouring point, 'rim' for the top circle of a cup or bowl, and 'spout' for a clear protruding tube.
Common collocations
Phrases
- pursed lips
- tight-lipped
- stiff upper lip
- lip-smacking
- lip-numbing
Prepositions
- on the lips
- between the lips
- with the lips
- from the lip
- over the lip
Etymology
The word 'lip' comes from Old English 'lippa,' which refers to the fleshy edge of the mouth. This traces back to Proto-Germanic '*lepjan-' and is related to German 'Lippe' and Dutch 'lip.' The word has relatives in Latin 'labium' (lip) and 'labrum' (lip of a vessel), which is why the container-edge sense (noun/2) exists in English. The verb senses developed later from the noun. The slang sense of 'lip' meaning 'rude talk' appeared in American English around the early 1800s, originally from the idea of using one's lips to speak back insolently.