tipple

UK: /ˈtɪp^əl/ US: /ˈtɪpəl/ ,(tip′əl)

Inflections of 'tipple' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

tipples

v 3rd person singular

tippling

v pres p

tippled

v past

tippled

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

tip•ple¹ /ˈtɪpəl/   v., -pled, -pling, n. 
v. 

1. [no object] to drink liquor, esp. too much.
2. [~ + object] to drink (liquor), esp. often and in small amounts.

n. [countable]

3. liquor;
   alcohol.

tip•pler, n. [countable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

tip•ple¹  (tip′əl), v., -pled, -pling, n. 
v.i. 

1. to drink intoxicating liquor, esp. habitually or to some excess.

v.t. 

2. to drink (intoxicating liquor), esp. repeatedly, in small quantities.

n. 

3. intoxicating liquor.

• 1490–1500; back formation from Middle English tipeler tapster, equivalent. to tipel- tap² (cognate with Dutch tepel teat) + -er -er¹; compare tipsy

tip•ple²  (tip′əl), n. 

1. Rail Transport a device that tilts or overturns a freight car to dump its contents.
2. Rail Transport a place where loaded cars are emptied by tipping.
3. Mining a structure where coal is cleaned and loaded in railroad cars or trucks.

• 1875–80, American; noun, nominal use of dialect, dialectal tipple to tumble, frequentative of tip²; see -le

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

tipple / ˈtɪp^əl/ verb

1. to make a habit of taking (alcoholic drink), esp in small quantities

noun

1. alcoholic drink

Etymology: 15th Century: back formation from obsolete tippler tapster, of unknown origin

ˈtippler noun