Trip — Defs

01 v. i. To move with light, quick steps; to walk or move lightly; to skip; to move the feet nimbly; -- sometimes followed by it. See It, 5.

imp. & p. p. Tripped; p. pr. & vb. n. Tripping

1.
To move with light, quick steps; to walk or move lightly; to skip; to move the feet nimbly; -- sometimes followed by it. See It, 5. See: It
“This horse anon began to trip and dance.” — Chaucer.

“Come, and trip it, as you go, On the light fantastic toe.” — Milton.

“She bounded by, and tripped so light They had not time to take a steady sight.” — Dryden.
2.
To make a brief journey or pleasure excursion; as, to trip to Europe.
3.
To take a quick step, as when in danger of losing one's balance; hence, to make a false step; to catch the foot; to lose footing; to stumble.
4.
Fig.: To be guilty of a misstep; to commit an offense against morality, propriety, or rule; to err; to mistake; to fail.
“A blind will thereupon comes to be led by a blind understanding; there is no remedy, but it must trip and stumble.” — South.

“Virgil is so exact in every word that none can be changed but for a worse; he pretends sometimes to trip, but it is to make you think him in danger when most secure.” — Dryden.

“What? dost thou verily trip upon a word?” — R. Browning.

02 v. t. To cause to stumble, or take a false step; to cause to lose the footing, by striking the feet from under; to cause to fall; to throw off th…

1.
To cause to stumble, or take a false step; to cause to lose the footing, by striking the feet from under; to cause to fall; to throw off the balance; to supplant; -- often followed by up; as, to trip up a man in wrestling.
“The words of Hobbes's defense trip up the heels of his cause.” — Abp. Bramhall.
2.
To overthrow by depriving of support; to put an obstacle in the way of; to obstruct; to cause to fail.(Fig.)
“To trip the course of law, and blunt the sword.” — Shak.
3.
To detect in a misstep; to catch; to convict; also called trip up.[R.] Also: trip up
“These her women can trip me if I err.” — Shak.
4.
To raise (an anchor) from the bottom, by its cable or buoy rope, so that it hangs free.(Naut.)
5.
To release, let fall, or set free, as a weight or compressed spring, as by removing a latch or detent; to activate by moving a release mechanism, often unintentionally; as, to trip an alarm.(Mach.)

03 n. A quick, light step; a lively movement of the feet; a skip.

1.
A quick, light step; a lively movement of the feet; a skip.
“His heart bounded as he sometimes could hear the trip of a light female step glide to or from the door.” — Sir W. Scott.
2.
A brief or rapid journey; an excursion or jaunt.
“I took a trip to London on the death of the queen.” — Pope.
3.
A false step; a stumble; a misstep; a loss of footing or balance. Fig.: An error; a failure; a mistake.
“Imperfect words, with childish trips.” — Milton.

“Each seeming trip, and each digressive start.” — Harte.
4.
A small piece; a morsel; a bit.[Obs.]
5.
A stroke, or catch, by which a wrestler causes his antagonist to lose footing.
“And watches with a trip his foe to foil.” — Dryden.

“It is the sudden trip in wrestling that fetches a man to the ground.” — South.
6.
A single board, or tack, in plying, or beating, to windward.(Naut.)
7.
A herd or flock, as of sheep, goats, etc.[Prov. Eng. & Scott.]
8.
A troop of men; a host.[Obs.]
9.
A flock of widgeons.(Zool.)