blip

1 of 2

noun

ˈblip 

1

: a trace on a display screen (such as an oscilloscope)

especially : a spot on a radar screen

2

: a short crisp sound

3

: an interruption of the sound received in a radio or television program or occurring in a recording as a result of blipping

4

: a transient sharp movement up or down (as of a quantity commonly shown on a graph)

5

: something relatively small or inconsequential within a larger context

made only a blip on the political scene

blip

2 of 2

verb

blipped; blipping

transitive verb

: to remove (recorded sound) from a recording so that there is an interruption of the sound in the reproduction

a censor blipped the swear words

Examples of blip in a Sentence

Noun

The approaching ship appeared as a blip on the screen.

the blips, buzzes, and bleeps of a video game

The company's financial problems were just a temporary blip.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Mike Malott Was Malott's loss to Neil Magny a blip on the radar? —Brian Mazique, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024

But this turned out to be a blip, rather than a permanent improvement. —Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 25 Oct. 2024

Verb

Back to the Carrera T, and the latest 911 is fitted as standard with rear-wheel steering – this was an option on the previous T – along with a sports exhaust and a rev-matching function that blips the engine between downshifts. —Alistair Charlton, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024

Watching them blip along to the music is a fun retro touch. —Chris Haslam, WIRED, 9 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

imitative

First Known Use

Noun

1945, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1968, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

blip

noun

ˈblip

: a spot on a screen

a radar blip