Advertisement - Continue reading below

Definition of "blip" []

  • A spot of light on a radar or sonar screen indicating the position of a detected object, such as an aircraft or a submarine. Also called pip3. (noun)
  • A high-pitched electronic sound; a bleep. (noun)
  • A transient sharp upward or downward movement, as on a graph. (noun)
  • A temporary or insignificant phenomenon, especially a brief departure from the normal: "The decline in the share of GNP going to health . . . appears to be a one-time blip in the historic trend rather than the start of a new trend” ( Atlantic). (noun)
  • To bleep. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "blip" in a sentence
  • "The title blip was so fitting as it leaves for many interpretations, one of them being a spike - perhaps in reality!"
  • "Europe is certainly picked up, but again, we don't know how much of that is a short term blip or whether we're looking at sustained trend given the endemic problems that we're all watching in Europe."
  • ""This might be a short-term blip as we build up to a peak of demand around the Olympics itself but it could also be a worrying indicator of a lack of engagement in the Olympics from both business and consumers", Green said."