lips
noun · verb
Form of lip , plural of lip.
Simple meaning
Either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
lipsIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈlɪps
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
plural of lip
Either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
plural of lip
Either of the two fleshy protrusions around the opening of the mouth.
plural of lip
A part of the body that resembles a lip, such as the edge of a wound or the labia.
plural of lip
The projecting rim of an open container or a bell, etc.; a short open spout.
verb
third-person singular of lip
To touch or grasp with the lips; to kiss; to lap the lips against (something).
third-person singular of lip
To wash against a surface, lap.
third-person singular of liptransitivefigurativelyof an object
To touch lightly.
third-person singular of lip
To rise or flow up to or over the edge of something.
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
Used this way, lips is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
Makeup that is used to color the lips.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
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What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.