trip

trip¹

/trip/, n., v., tripped, tripping.

n.

1. a journey or voyage: to win a trip to Paris.

2. a journey, voyage, or run made by a boat, train, bus, or the like, between two points: It's a short trip from Baltimore to Philadelphia.

3. See round trip (defs. 1, 2).

4. a single journey or course of travel taken as part of one's duty, work, etc.: his daily trip to the bank.

5. a stumble; misstep.

6. a sudden impeding or catching of a person's foot so as to throw the person down, esp. in wrestling.

7. a slip, mistake, error, or blunder.

8. an error or lapse in conduct or etiquette.

9. a light, nimble step or movement of the feet.

10. Mach.

a. a projecting object mounted on a moving part for striking a control lever to stop, reverse, or otherwise control the actions of some machine, as a milling machine or printing press.

b. a sudden release or start.

11. a catch of fish taken by a fishing vessel in a single voyage.

12. Slang.

a. an instance or period of being under the influence of a hallucinogenic drug, esp. LSD.

b. the euphoria, illusions, etc., experienced during such a period.

c. any stimulating or exciting experience: The class reunion was a real trip.

d. any intense interest or preoccupation: She's been on a nostalgia trip all week.

e. a period of time, experience, or lifestyle: Those early years in college were a bad trip.

13. lay a trip on, Slang. to inflict one's preoccupations or obsessions on (another person): Mother's been trying to lay a guilt trip on me about leaving home.

v.i.

14. to stumble: to trip over a child's toy.

15. to make a slip, error, or mistake, as in conversation or conduct.

16. to step lightly or nimbly; skip; dance.

17. to go with a light, quick step or tread: She tripped gaily across the room.

18. to make a journey or excursion.

19. to tip or tilt.

20. Horol. (of a tooth on an escape wheel) to slide past the face of the pallet by which it is supposed to be locked and strike the pallet in such a way as to move the balance or pendulum improperly.

21. Slang. to be under the influence of a hallucinogenic drug, esp. LSD (often fol. by out): He tripped out on peyote.

v.t.

22. to cause to stumble (often fol. by up): The rug tripped him up.

23. to cause to fail; hinder, obstruct, or overthrow.

24. to cause to make a slip or error (often fol. by up): to trip up a witness by skillful questioning.

25. to catch in a slip or error.

26. to tip or tilt.

27. Naut.

a. to break out (an anchor) by turning over or lifting from the bottom by a line (tripping line) attached to the anchor's crown.

b. to tip or turn (a yard) from a horizontal to a vertical position.

c. to lift (an upper mast) before lowering.

28. to operate, start, or set free (a mechanism, weight, etc.) by suddenly releasing a catch, clutch, or the like.

29. Mach. to release or operate suddenly (a catch, clutch, etc.).

30. wedge (def. 17).

31. to tread or dance lightly upon (the ground, floor, etc.).

32. Archaic. to perform with a light or tripping step, as a dance.

33. trip the light fantastic, Facetious. to go dancing.

[1350-1400; 1960-65 for def. 12; ME trippen to step lightly < OF trip(p)er < MD; cf. early D trippen, D trippelen (freq. with -el), akin to OE treppan to tread]

Syn. 1. excursion, tour, jaunt, junket. TRIP, EXPEDITION, JOURNEY, PILGRIMAGE, VOYAGE are terms for a course of travel made to a particular place, usually for some specific purpose. TRIP is the general word, indicating going any distance and returning, by walking or any means of locomotion, for either business or pleasure, and in either a hurried or a leisurely manner: a trip to Europe; a vacation trip; a bus trip. An EXPEDITION, made often by an organized company, is designed to accomplish a specific purpose: an archaeological expedition.

JOURNEY indicates a trip of considerable length, wholly or mainly by land, for business or pleasure or other reasons, and is now applied to travel that is more leisurely or more fatiguing than a trip; a return is not necessarily indicated: the long journey to Tibet. A PILGRIMAGE is made as to a shrine, from motives of piety or veneration: a pilgrimage to Lourdes. A VOYAGE is travel by water or air, usually for a long distance and for business or pleasure; if by water, leisure is indicated: a voyage around the world. 7. lapse, oversight. 15. bungle, blunder, err.

trip²

/trip/, n. Brit. Dial.

a group of animals, as sheep, goats, or fowl; flock.

[1275-1325; ME; appar. special use of TRIP¹ in the sense of a group moving together, hence gang, flock]

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