# whip

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈwɪp/ · frequency rank #7,085

## Definitions
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.
2. 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.
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.
6. A document distributed weekly to MPs by party whips informing them of upcoming votes in parliament.
7. The regular status of an MP within a parliamentary party, which can be revoked by the party as a disciplinary measure.
8. Whipped cream.
9. A purchase in which one block is used to gain a 2:1 mechanical advantage.
10. A mode of personal motorized transportation; an automobile, all makes and models including motorcycles, excluding public transportation.
11. A move in which one player transfers momentum to another.
12. A whipping motion; a thrashing about.
13. The quality of being whiplike or flexible; suppleness, as of the shaft of a golf club.
14. Any of various pieces that operate with a quick vibratory motion
15. Any of various pieces that operate with a quick vibratory motion
16. A coach driver; a coachman.

## Etymology
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 *wipjaną (“to move back and forth”). Some similarity to Sanskrit root वेप् (vep, “shake, flourish”), Latin vibrō (“to shake”). (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.
The political senses are from whipper-in (“huntsman who keeps the hounds from wandering”), 18th century hunting terminology.

## Easily confused with
- **wi** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whip-vs-wi)
- **who** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whip-vs-who)
- **why** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whip-vs-why)
- **win** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whip-vs-win)
- **wit** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whip-vs-wit)
- **Wii** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whip-vs-wii)
- **wig** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whip-vs-wig)
- **wis** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whip-vs-wis)
- **wiz** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whip-vs-wiz)
- **Wie** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whip-vs-wie)
- **wop** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whip-vs-wop)
- **wid** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whip-vs-wid)
- **WIC** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whip-vs-wic)
- **wim** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whip-vs-wim)
- **whom** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whip-vs-whom)
- **wrap** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whip-vs-wrap)
- **wipe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whip-vs-wipe)
- **whoa** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whip-vs-whoa)
- **writ** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whip-vs-writ)
- **whit** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whip-vs-whit)

## Common misspellings (6)
`hwip`, `whhip`, `whipp`, `whpi`, `wihp`, `wwhip`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/whip