Definition "dip" in Collins English Dictionary & Thesaurus

dip (dips plural & 3rd person present) (dipping present participle) (dipped past tense & past participle )

1  verb If you dip something in a liquid, you put it into the liquid for a short time, so that only part of it is covered, and take it out again.
Quickly dip the base in and out of cold water.  V n into/in n
  Dip is also a noun., n-count
One dip into the bottle should do an entire nail.

2  verb If you dip your hand into a container or dip into the container, you put your hand into it in order to take something out of it.
She dipped a hand into the jar of sweets and pulled one out...  V n into n
Watch your fingers as you dip into the pot...  V into n
Ask the children to guess what's in each container by dipping their hands in.  V n with in

3  verb If something dips, it makes a downward movement, usually quite quickly.
Blake jumped in expertly; the boat dipped slightly under his weight...  V
The sun dipped below the horizon.  V prep
  Dip is also a noun., n-count
I noticed little things, a dip of the head, a twitch in the shoulder.

4  verb If an area of land, a road, or a path dips, it goes down quite suddenly to a lower level.
The road dipped and rose again.  V
...a path which suddenly dips down into a tunnel.  V adv/prep
  Dip is also a noun., n-count
Where the road makes a dip, turn right.

5  verb If the amount or level of something dips, it becomes smaller or lower, usually only for a short period of time. (=fall)
Unemployment dipped to 6.9 per cent last month...  V prep/adv
The president became more cautious as his popularity dipped.  V
  Dip is also a noun., n-count oft N in n
...the current dip in farm spending.

6 n-var A dip is a thick creamy sauce. You dip pieces of raw vegetable or biscuits into the sauce and then eat them.
Maybe we could just buy some dips., ...prawns with avocado dip.

7 n-count If you have or take a dip, you go for a quick swim in the sea, a river, or a swimming pool. (=swim)
She flicked through a romantic paperback between occasional dips in the pool.

8  verb If you are driving a car and dip the headlights, you operate a switch that makes them shine downwards, so that they do not shine directly into the eyes of other drivers.
(BRIT)
He dipped his headlights as they came up behind a slow-moving van...  V n
This picture shows the view from a car using normal dipped lights.  V-ed
in AM, use dim

9 verb If you dip into a book, you have a brief look at it without reading or studying it seriously.
...a chance to dip into a wide selection of books on Tibetan Buddhism. V into n

10 verb If you dip into a sum of money that you had intended to save, you use some of it to buy something or pay for something.
Just when she was ready to dip into her savings, Greg hastened to her rescue. V into n

11
→ lucky dip
→ to dip your toes
→ toe