# sup

/ˈsəp/ (US) · /sˈʌp/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/sup
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. a greeting

interjection · CEFR B2 · Slang · Informal

a very casual way to say 'What's up?' or 'Hello'.

For teachers: a highly informal greeting derived from the clipping of 'What's up?'.

- He nodded at his friend and just said, 'Sup, man?' as he walked by.
- The teenagers exchanged a brief 'sup' before returning their focus to their mobile devices, barely breaking their stride.

### 2. to eat or drink

verb · CEFR C2 · Literary · Archaic

to eat your evening meal or to take small sips of a drink.

For teachers: to consume the evening meal; alternatively, to take liquid into the mouth in small quantities.

- They invited us to sup with them at their cottage by the lake.
- In the novel, the weary travellers were invited to sup on a simple broth before retiring for the night.

Usage: Intransitive when meaning to eat supper; transitive when meaning to sip a liquid.

### 3. math limit

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

the smallest number that is greater than or equal to every number in a set.

For teachers: the least upper bound of a set; the smallest real number that is greater than or equal to every number in the set.

- The professor asked the students to find the sup of the given sequence.
- In real analysis, proving the existence of the sup is a fundamental exercise for understanding the completeness of the real numbers.

Usage: Usually functions as a noun or a mathematical operator.

## Examples

- Sup, man? How was your weekend?
- He didn't even look up from his phone, just gave a quick nod and said 'sup' as I walked into the room.
- While 'sup' serves as a convenient shorthand in digital messaging, using it in a professional email might suggest a lack of respect for the recipient's status.

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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.