Definition of trip verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

trip

verb

/trɪp/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they trip	/trɪp/ /trɪp/
he / she / it trips	/trɪps/ /trɪps/
past simple tripped	/trɪpt/ /trɪpt/
past participle tripped	/trɪpt/ /trɪpt/
-ing form tripping	/ˈtrɪpɪŋ/ /ˈtrɪpɪŋ/

Idioms Phrasal Verbs

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[intransitive] to catch your foot on something and fall or almost fall
- She tripped and fell.
- trip over/on something Someone will trip over that cable.
- I tripped over my own feet and fell down the stairs.
- (figurative) I was tripping over my words in my excitement to tell them the news.
- (figurative) Lawyers were tripping over each other (= competing with each other in a hurried way) to get a piece of the action.
- trip over/up Be careful you don't trip up on the step.
Extra Examples
- She tripped on the loose stones.
- One of the boys tripped over and crashed into a tree.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- accidentally
- almost
- nearly
- …
preposition
- on
- over
phrases
- trip and fall
See full entry
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Find out which words work together and produce more natural sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app.
[transitive] trip somebody
(also trip somebody up)
to catch somebody’s foot and make them fall or almost fall
- As I passed, he stuck out a leg and tried to trip me up.
- The referee said Morgan was tripped and gave a penalty.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- accidentally
- almost
- nearly
- …
preposition
- on
- over
phrases
- trip and fall
See full entry
[intransitive] + adv./prep. (literary) to walk, run or dance with quick light steps
- She said goodbye and tripped off along the road.
- She came tripping lightly down the stairs.
- (figurative) a melody with a light tripping rhythm
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- lightly
- out
preposition
- along
- down
- up
- …
phrases
- come tripping
See full entry
[transitive] trip something to release a switch, etc. or to operate something by doing so
- to trip a switch
- Any intruders will trip the alarm.
[intransitive] (informal) to be under the influence of a drug that makes you hallucinate