English Reference
Noun

blip

n.
B2 Upper Intermediate US /ˈbɫɪp/ UK /blˈɪp/ blip UK spelling blip's, blip's, blipped, blipping Electronics Internet

n.a short, sudden change in a signal or a small mistake that does not last long. You use this when something goes wrong for a moment and then goes back to normal.

n.a brief, sudden fluctuation in a signal or a minor, temporary error.


SIMPLE

There was a small blip in the signal, but we still received the message.

CONTEXTUAL

The system experienced a minor blip during the update, causing a few seconds of lag before everything returned to normal.

COMPLEX

While the overall performance remained stable, a brief blip in the server's response time suggested that the underlying architecture might require a more robust load-balancing strategy.

Andrew Hunter, a co-founder of Adzuna, said: “July’s numbers are a step backwards, not a blip.

The Guardian· 24 Aug 2026

Onomatopoeic.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Occasional
Updated