# pip

/ˈpɪp/ (US) · /pˈɪp/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/pip
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. fruit seed

noun · CEFR B2 · British English

a small seed found inside fruits like apples, oranges, or grapes.

For teachers: a small, hard seed in a fleshy fruit.

- She spat the orange pips into a napkin while she ate.
- The chef meticulously removed every pip from the lemon juice to ensure the sauce remained perfectly smooth.

### 2. electronic tone

noun · CEFR C1 · British English

a short, high-pitched electronic sound, often used to signal the time on the radio.

For teachers: a short, high-frequency sound pulse, typically used as a time signal or in telecommunications.

- We heard the pips on the radio just before the news started at six o'clock.
- The broadcast was preceded by six pips, the last of which marked the precise start of the new hour.

### 3. rank insignia

noun · CEFR C2 · British English

a small star-shaped badge worn on a military or police uniform to show a person's rank.

For teachers: a small insignia worn on the shoulder of a uniform to denote commissioned rank.

- The young officer was proud of the new pips on his shoulders.
- Having recently been promoted to captain, he now wore three pips on each shoulder strap of his service dress.

### 4. forex price movement

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

the smallest change in value for a currency price in trading.

For teachers: the smallest unit of price change in foreign exchange trading, typically representing the fourth decimal place.

- The trader made a profit when the exchange rate moved up by ten pips.
- High-frequency trading algorithms are designed to exploit price fluctuations as small as a single pip across multiple currency pairs.

### 7. to defeat narrowly

verb · CEFR C1 · British English · Informal

to beat someone in a race or competition by a very small amount.

For teachers: to defeat a competitor by a very narrow margin, often at the final moment.

- She was leading the whole race, but another runner pipped her at the finish line.
- The incumbent candidate was pipped at the post by a newcomer who won by fewer than fifty votes.

Usage: Often used with 'at the post' or 'to the finish'.

## Examples

- I accidentally swallowed an orange pip.
- The chef carefully removed every pip from the lemon slices before adding them to the sauce.
- While the flesh of the fruit is sweet and inviting, the bitter pips contain small amounts of cyanide-producing compounds as a natural defense mechanism.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.