tripping
tripping — verb
- trippingpresent simple I / you / we / they
- trippings3rd person singular
- trippinging-ing form
- trippingedpast simple
1. to hit your foot on an object by accident while walking or running, so that you
to hit your foot on an object by accident while walking or running, so that you lose your balance and possibly fall; or to cause another person to fall by putting your foot or another object in their way.
Sahil tripped over a loose cable in the office and dropped his coffee cup.
trip + over + noun (physical obstacle)
Mira nearly tripped on the uneven pavement while carrying the heavy shopping bags home.
trip + on + uneven surface
The defender tripped the striker with a reckless tackle and received a yellow card from the referee.
Asher tripped on a tree root while jogging through the park and scraped his knee badly.
文法句型
trip + over/on + noun
trip + someone + (with noun)
用法筆記
When used transitively (trip + someone), it implies deliberate or negligent action. The intransitive use (trip over/on + object) usually describes an accident.
常見錯誤
2. to walk, run, or dance with quick, light, and graceful steps, as if barely touch
to walk, run, or dance with quick, light, and graceful steps, as if barely touching the ground.
The little girl tripped lightly down the garden path, chasing a monarch butterfly.
trip + lightly + direction phrase
Joao could hear the dancer's feet tripping across the wooden stage during the early rehearsal.
trip + across + surface
Wren tripped along the cobblestone street in her new shoes, feeling light and carefree.
Saira tripped gracefully across the living room, pretending the carpet was a stage.
- stomp
heavy, noisy steps — the opposite of light movement
文法句型
trip + adverb (lightly, quickly)
trip + along/down/across + noun
用法筆記
This sense is somewhat literary or formal. It describes a graceful, deliberate movement, not an accidental stumble. Common in descriptive writing and poetry.
常見錯誤
3. to cause a switch, circuit breaker, alarm, or other mechanism to move into a dif
to cause a switch, circuit breaker, alarm, or other mechanism to move into a different position, usually turning a system on or off automatically.
Xiu tripped the circuit breaker when she plugged the space heater into the overloaded power strip.
trip + the circuit breaker (electricity)
Harper tripped the alarm by opening the emergency exit door without swiping her security badge first.
trip + the alarm (security system)
The safety system tripped automatically when the temperature in the server room rose above sixty degrees.
Rachid accidentally tripped the motion sensor in the hallway and set off the outdoor floodlights.
- reset
to restore a tripped mechanism to its normal position
文法句型
trip + noun (switch/breaker/alarm)
trip + (mechanism) + on/off
用法筆記
Common in technical and security contexts. The subject can be a person (active), or the mechanism itself can trip (intransitive) when conditions are met. 'Trip' here does NOT imply a fall — it means a mechanical release or activation.
常見錯誤
4. to see, hear, and feel things that are not real because you have taken an illega
to see, hear, and feel things that are not real because you have taken an illegal substance like LSD or magic mushrooms, which strongly alter your perception of the world around you.
The documentary warned teenagers about the risks of tripping on LSD without medical supervision.
trip + on + drug name
Saira described tripping on psilocybin mushrooms as a deeply disorienting but emotionally intense experience.
gerund: tripping + on + substance
Ezra spent the whole night tripping after taking a pill that his friend said would just make him feel relaxed.
Wren wrote a poem about tripping on ayahuasca during a retreat in the Peruvian jungle.
- hallucinate
clinical and neutral — describes the symptom without the recreational connotation
文法句型
trip + on + drug
trip + (adverb)
用法筆記
Highly informal slang. Not used in formal or academic contexts about drug use — 'experience hallucinations' or 'under the influence of psychedelics' is preferred for formal writing.
常見錯誤
tripping — noun
1. an outing to a place and back again, typically brief and with a clear goal such
an outing to a place and back again, typically brief and with a clear goal such as buying things, visiting someone, or attending meetings.
Harper took a short trip to the coastal town for a weekend of swimming and fresh seafood.
take + a + trip + to + place
The Watanabe family made a trip to the supermarket to buy ingredients for the barbecue party.
make + a + trip + to + place (purpose)
Mira's business trip to Taipei was scheduled for three days with meetings at the regional head office.
Sahil and his classmates took a field trip to the natural history museum to see the dinosaur skeletons.
文法句型
trip + to + place
trip + from + place
on a trip
take a trip
用法筆記
Unlike 'journey' or 'travel', 'trip' always implies a return to the starting point. 'Field trip' (school outing), 'day trip', and 'round trip' are common compounds.
常見錯誤
2. an occasion when someone knocks their foot against something while walking or ru
an occasion when someone knocks their foot against something while walking or running, causing them to stumble or fall.
The elderly man's trip on the loose rug resulted in a fractured hip that required immediate surgery.
trip + on + cause (countable noun)
Asher's trip over his own backpack sent his textbooks and notebooks scattering across the hallway floor.
trip + over + object
Joao had a nasty trip on the basement stairs after the light bulb burned out and left the area dark.
The toddler took a little trip over his own feet and started crying until his mother picked him up.
文法句型
have a trip
trip + over/on
用法筆記
The noun 'trip' in this sense is less common than the verb form. English speakers more often say 'a stumble' or simply use the verb 'tripped'. 'A trip' as a noun for 'a fall' is informal and countable.
常見錯誤
3. a powerful altered state in which a person sees, hears, or senses things that ar
a powerful altered state in which a person sees, hears, or senses things that are not actually there, brought on by taking illegal substances like LSD or psilocybin.
The musician composed the entire album while recovering from a bad trip that left him shaken for weeks.
bad trip (negative drug experience, idiom-like)
Trang told her friends that her first trip on peyote was a deeply spiritual experience under the desert night sky.
first + trip + on + drug name
The novel describes an acid trip with such vivid detail that readers feel they are hallucinating alongside the narrator.
The students watched a documentary about LSD trips and discussed the long-term effects on mental health.
- hallucination
clinical term — describes the symptom, not the recreational experience
文法句型
have a trip
on a trip
bad trip
用法筆記
Informal slang. The adjective 'bad' before 'trip' is very common and refers to a frightening or unpleasant drug experience. In formal or clinical writing, use 'hallucinatory episode' or 'psychedelic experience' instead.
4. an experience or a person that is strikingly strange, entertaining, unusual, or
an experience or a person that is strikingly strange, entertaining, unusual, or mind-altering in a memorable way.
Watching that experimental art film was a real trip — the director used only abstract shapes and distorted sounds.
be + a + trip (strange experience)
Rachid said meeting his twin brother was a total trip — they had the same voice and gestures.
be + a + total trip (intensified)
Grandma is a trip when she starts telling stories about her younger days as a motorcycle courier in Tokyo.
Walking through the night market in Taipei was a trip — every stall sold something I had never seen before.
- mind-bender
very informal, emphasises confusion or mental challenge
文法句型
be a trip
real trip
用法筆記
American informal slang. Used to express surprise or amusement at how unusual something or someone is. The phrase 'what a trip!' is a common exclamation. Do NOT use in formal writing.
常見錯誤
❌ 'The lecture was a trip.' (ambiguous) — means 'strange/bizarre', not 'interesting'. Use 'fascinating' or 'eye-opening' for positive formal contexts.
5. a stretch of time when someone is completely absorbed in a particular interest,
a stretch of time when someone is completely absorbed in a particular interest, hobby, emotion, or way of thinking.
Sahil went through a serious sci-fi trip in university, reading every award-winning novel by Asimov and Le Guin.
go through + a + (adjective) + trip
Ezra's minimalist decluttering trip lasted for months — he painted all his walls white and gave away half his furniture.
possessive + (adjective) + trip (period of obsession)
Wren has been on a health food trip lately, replacing every meal with green smoothies and quinoa salads.
Trang went on a cooking trip over the summer, learning to make pho, dumplings, and curry from scratch.
文法句型
be on a + (adjective) + trip
go on a + noun + trip
用法筆記
This sense is always followed by a descriptor that names the interest or feeling (e.g. 'a power trip', 'a guilt trip', 'an ego trip'). Without the descriptor, the meaning is unclear.