Definition

1. Noun:

   • A journey or excursion, especially for pleasure: A trip is a journey to a place and back, often for a specific purpose or leisure.
   • A stumble or fall caused by catching one's foot on something: A trip is an instance of losing one's balance due to hitting an obstacle with the foot.
   • A mistake or error: A trip can refer to a slip or blunder, especially in speech or action.
   • A light, quick step: A trip can describe a nimble, dancing movement of the feet.
   • A stimulating or unusual experience, especially one induced by a drug: A trip is an experience characterized by altered perception, often from a psychedelic substance.
   • A mechanical catch or release device: A trip is a mechanism that activates or releases something.

2. Verb:

   • To stumble or cause to stumble: To trip means to catch one's foot on something and lose balance, or to cause someone else to do so.
   • To make a journey: To trip means to go on a short journey or excursion.
   • To activate or release a mechanism: To trip means to operate a switch or trigger.
   • To experience the effects of a hallucinogenic drug: To trip means to undergo a psychedelic experience.
   • To make a mistake, especially in speech: To trip means to err or falter.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • We are planning a weekend trip to the mountains.
  • He had a nasty trip on the uneven pavement.
  • The speaker made a slight trip during his presentation but continued smoothly.
  • She walked with a graceful trip.
  • He described his first acid trip.
  • The safety mechanism has an automatic trip.

• Verb:

  • Be careful not to trip over that cable.
  • The defender tried to trip the striker.
  • They trip to the coast every summer.
  • The overload will trip the circuit breaker.
  • He used to trip on LSD in the 1960s.
  • The complex question tripped up the candidate during the interview.

Advanced Usage

• "a trip down memory lane": An occasion when you remember pleasant things that happened in the past.

  • Looking at these old photos is a real trip down memory lane.

• "to trip the light fantastic": (Humorous or literary) To dance.

  • They spent the evening tripping the light fantastic at the ball.

Variants and Related Words

• Tripper (noun): A person who is on a trip or excursion; a tourist. Also, a device that trips a mechanism.

  • The coastal town was full of day trippers.

• Tripwire (noun): A wire that is stretched close to the ground and activates a trap, alarm, or explosion when disturbed.

  • The soldiers carefully avoided the tripwire.

Synonyms

• Noun (Journey): Excursion, outing, jaunt, voyage.
• Noun (Stumble): Stumble, misstep, slip, fall.
• Verb (Stumble): Stumble, slip, fall, tumble.
• Verb (Activate): Trigger, activate, release, set off.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Trip up: To cause someone to stumble or make a mistake; to catch someone in an error.
  • The tricky wording in the contract tripped us up.
  • The prosecutor tripped up the witness with a series of rapid questions.

Related Idioms

• A guilt trip: An effort to make someone feel guilty.

  • Don't lay a guilt trip on me for wanting a night out.

• A power trip: An act or series of acts undertaken for the pleasure of using one's authority over others.

  • The new manager is on a real power trip, micromanaging everything.

Noun

1. an unintentional but embarrassing blunder
   • he recited the whole poem without a single trip
   • he arranged his robes to avoid a trip-up later
   • confusion caused his unfortunate misstep
2. a light or nimble tread
   • he heard the trip of women's feet overhead
3. a catch mechanism that acts as a switch
   • the pressure activates the tripper and releases the water
4. an exciting or stimulating experience
5. an accidental misstep threatening (or causing) a fall
   • he blamed his slip on the ice
   • the jolt caused many slips and a few spills
6. a hallucinatory experience induced by drugs
   • an acid trip
7. a journey for some purpose (usually including the return)
   • he took a trip to the shopping center

Verb

1. get high, stoned, or drugged
   • He trips every weekend
2. put in motion or move to act
   • trigger a reaction
   • actuate the circuits
3. make a trip for pleasure
4. cause to stumble
   • The questions on the test tripped him up
5. miss a step and fall or nearly fall
   • She stumbled over the tree root