whip
/ˈwɪp/noun, verb
whip is spelled W-H-I-P: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 10 times per million words in written English, the 7,009th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, whip means “A lash; a pliant, flexible instrument, such as a rod (commonly of cane or rattan) or a plaited or braided rope or thong (commonly of leather) used to…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of whip is whips.
How many letters and syllables are in whip?
| Letters | 4: W-H-I-P |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 |
| In writing | 10 times per million words; the 7,009th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is whip?
Whip appears 10 times per million words in written English, the 7,009th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce whip?
- /ˈwɪp/
- /ˈʍɪp/
- [ˈw̥ɪp]
Whip has one syllable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-whip.wav, En-us-whip.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of whip
- whips plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- whipping participle, present
- whipped participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does whip mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A lash; a pliant, flexible instrument, such as a rod (commonly of cane or rattan) or a plaited or braided rope or thong (commonly of leather) used to create a sharp "crack" sound for directing or herding animals.
I had to use the whip to get the sheep's attention.
- 2
The same instrument used to strike a person or animal for corporal punishment or torture.
Once he ran out of appeals, he knew he would soon feel the sting of the whip.
- 3
A blow administered with a whip.
- 4
A whipper-in.
- 5
A member of a political party who is in charge of enforcing the party's policies in votes.
I was going to vote against the bill, but the party whip came to see me and made it clear I needed to vote for it.
- 6
UKA document distributed weekly to MPs by party whips informing them of upcoming votes in parliament.
- 7
UKThe regular status of an MP within a parliamentary party, which can be revoked by the party as a disciplinary measure.
to withdraw the whip
- 8
Whipped cream.
Did you want to add some whip to your coffee, ma'am?
verb
- 1
To hit with a whip.
The rider whipped the horse.
- 2
To hit with any flexible object.
I whipped her with a newspaper.
- 3
slangTo defeat, as in a contest or game.
- 4
To mix in a rapid aerating fashion, especially food.
to whip eggs or cream
- 5
To urge into action or obedience.
He whipped the department into shape.
- 6
To enforce a member voting in accordance with party policy.
- 7
To bind the end of a rope with twine or other small stuff to prevent its unlaying: fraying or unravelling.
- 8
To hoist or purchase by means of a whip.
noun
- 1
Acronym of walks plus hits per inning pitched; a statistic of the number of baserunners a pitcher has allowed per inning pitched.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Whip in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | fouet , whip , flageller, fouetter , défaire , battre |
| German | Peitsche, Knute, Zagel , auspeitschen, geißeln, peitschen |
| Portuguese | chicote, açoite , açoitar, chicotear, flagelar , bater |
| Spanish | fusta, látigo, flagelo, coyunda, chicote, vergajo |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does whip come from?
From Middle English whippen, wippen (“to flap violently”), from Middle Dutch wippen (“to swing, leap, dance, oscillate”) and Middle Low German wippen (“to move quickly”), from Proto-Germanic *wippōną (“to move back and forth”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weyp- (“to shake; to swing”). (See Swedish vippa and Danish vippe (“to shake”)). The unetymological wh- is probably expressive of the sound of a whip; compare the same development in whisk and onomatopoeias such as whack and whoosh.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).