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Definition of "fillip" []

  • A snap or light blow made by pressing a fingertip against the thumb and suddenly releasing it. (noun)
  • An embellishment that excites or stimulates: "Spritely tabasco onions, just a little crunch for the top, were an added fillip” ( Alison Arnett). (noun)
  • One that is trivial or of little importance. (noun)
  • To strike or propel rapidly by as or as if by a fillip: filliped his finger against my ear; filliped the pretzel across the counter. (verb-transitive)
  • To stimulate or arouse. (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 "fillip" in a sentence
  • "Just as critics predicted, the rebate checks gave consumer spending a short-term fillip without changing longer-term incentives."
  • "The result was a short-term fillip to statistical GDP but no surge in real growth."
  • "Tax reform that lowers marginal rates while eliminating exemptions would make the economy more productive in the long run; but it would provide no short-term fillip to demand."