Trip v. i. [imp. & p. p. Tripped p. pr. & vb. n. Tripping.]
1. To move with light, quick steps; to walk or move lightly; to skip; to move the feet nimbly; -- sometimes followed by it. See It, 5.
This horse anon began to trip and dance. --Chaucer.
Come, and trip it, as you go,
On the light fantastic toe. --Milton.
She bounded by, and tripped so light
They had not time to take a steady sight. --Dryden.
2. To make a brief journey or pleasure excursion; as, to trip to Europe.
3. To take a quick step, as when in danger of losing one's balance; hence, to make a false step; to catch the foot; to lose footing; to stumble.
4. Fig.: To be guilty of a misstep; to commit an offense against morality, propriety, or rule; to err; to mistake; to fail. “Till his tongue trip.”
A blind will thereupon comes to be led by a blind understanding; there is no remedy, but it must trip and stumble. --South.
Virgil is so exact in every word that none can be changed but for a worse; he pretends sometimes to trip, but it is to make you think him in danger when most secure. --Dryden.
What? dost thou verily trip upon a word? --R. Browning.
Trip·ping a.
1. Quick; nimble; stepping lightly and quickly.
2. Her. Having the right forefoot lifted, the others remaining on the ground, as if he were trotting; trippant; -- said of an animal, as a hart, buck, and the like, used as a bearing.
Trip·ping, n.
1. Act of one who, or that which, trips.
2. A light dance.
Other trippings to be trod of lighter toes. --Milton.
3. Naut. The loosing of an anchor from the ground by means of its cable or buoy rope.
Tripping line Naut., a small rope attached to the topgallant or royal yard, used to trip the yard, and in lowering it to the deck; also, a line used in letting go the anchor.
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trip
n 1: a journey for some purpose (usually including the return);
"he took a trip to the shopping center"
2: a hallucinatory experience induced by drugs; "an acid trip"
3: an accidental misstep threatening (or causing) a fall; "he
blamed his slip on the ice"; "the jolt caused many slips
and a few spills" [syn: slip]
4: an exciting or stimulting experience [syn: head trip]
5: a catch mechanism that acts as a switch; "the pressure
activates the tripper and releases the water" [syn: tripper]
6: a light or nimble tread; "he heard the trip of women's feet
overhead"
7: an unintentional but embarrassing blunder; "he recited the
whole poem without a single trip"; "he arranged his robes
to avoid a trip-up later"; "confusion caused his
unfortunate misstep" [syn: trip-up, stumble, misstep]
v 1: miss a step and fall or nearly fall; "She stumbled over the
tree root" [syn: stumble]
2: cause to stumble; "The questions on the test tripped him up"
[syn: trip up]
3: make a trip for pleasure [syn: travel, jaunt]
4: put in motion or move to act; "trigger a reaction"; "actuate
the circuits" [syn: actuate, trigger, activate, set
off, spark off, spark, trigger off, touch off]
5: get high, stoned, or drugged; "He trips every weekend" [syn:
trip out, turn on, get off]
[also: tripping, tripped]
tripping
adj 1: characterized by a buoyant rhythm; "an easy lilting stride";
"the flute broke into a light lilting air"; "a
swinging pace"; "a graceful swingy walk"; "a tripping
singing measure" [syn: lilting, swinging, swingy]
2: moving easily and quickly; nimble; "the dancer was light and
graceful"; "a lightsome buoyant step"; "walked with a
light tripping step" [syn: light, lightsome]