tipping

IPA/tˈɪpɪŋ/
KK[tˈɪpɪŋ]IPA/tˈɪpɪŋ/

tipping — noun

1. the social practice of giving a small extra amount of money — called a tip — to

1.nounB1
Definition

the social practice of giving a small extra amount of money — called a tip — to a waiter, taxi driver, hotel cleaner, or other service worker as a way of thanking them for their work.

Example

In the United States, tipping is expected in most sit-down restaurants.

collocation: tipping is expected

Élise read a guidebook about tipping customs before her trip to Japan.

collocation: tipping customs

Common collocations
  • generous tipping
  • tipping etiquette
  • anti-tipping
  • no-tipping policy
  • tipping culture
Synonyms
  • gratuity

    more formal term for a tip, often used in written rules or hotel policies

  • service charge

    an automatic fee added to the bill, not a voluntary extra payment

Usage Note

Tipping customs vary widely by country. In some places, a 15–20% tip is standard; in others, service workers expect no tip at all.

Common Mistakes

I gave a tipping to the waiter.
I gave a tip to the waiter.' or 'I tipped the waiter.
'tipping' is the general practice (uncountable noun); the individual payment is a 'tip'.
Tipping is not allowed in Japan.
Tipping is not expected in Japan.
In Japan, tipping is not customary rather than being forbidden.

Word family

  • tip
    verbA2
  • tip
    nounB1
  • tipper
    nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

A 'tip' is the actual extra money handed to a worker, while 'tipping' is the general practice or act. 'Gratuity' is a more formal word for a tip, often seen on restaurant bills or hotel policies ('a gratuity of 18% will be added'). 'Service charge' is a fixed fee included in the bill, not a voluntary extra — customers do not decide the amount. Tipping is a social custom, whereas a service charge is a business rule. For example: 'The restaurant added a service charge, so tipping was not required.'

gratuity ↗service chargetip ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • no-tipping policy
  • tipping point

Prepositions

Etymology

GermanicEnglish

'Tipping' is the noun (gerund) form of the verb 'tip' meaning 'to give a gratuity'. That sense of 'tip' likely started in 17th-century England as part of underworld slang, and by the early 1700s it referred to giving a small sum of money to a servant or worker. The word 'tip' itself may come from an old practice of 'giving a tip' in the sense of handing over a small bonus.