BLIP (blipped, blipping)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

Irregular inflected forms: blipped    , blipping   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does blip mean? 

• BLIP (noun)
  The noun BLIP has 2 senses:

1. a sudden minor shock or meaningless interruption

2. a radar echo displayed so as to show the position of a reflecting surface

  Familiarity information: BLIP used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• BLIP (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A sudden minor shock or meaningless interruption

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Context example:

renewed jitters in the wake of a blip in retail sales

Hypernyms ("blip" is a kind of...):

blow; shock (an unpleasant or disappointing surprise)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A radar echo displayed so as to show the position of a reflecting surface

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

blip; pip; radar target

Hypernyms ("blip" is a kind of...):

radar echo (an electronic signal that has been reflected back to the radar antenna; contains information about the location and distance of the reflecting object)

 Context examples 

In this case, the blip only lasted a few hours.

('Iceball' Planet Discovered Through Microlensing, NASA)

Drawing on what scientists learned from exploring plumes on Saturn's moon Enceladus — that material in plumes becomes ionized and leaves a characteristic blip in the magnetic field — they knew what to look for.

(Old Data Reveal New Evidence of Europa Plumes, NASA)

Scientists have sketched out one of the greatest baby booms in North American history, a centuries-long growth blip among southwestern Native Americans between 500 and 1300 A.D. It was a time when the early features of civilization—including farming and food storage—had matured to a level where birth rates likely exceeded the highest in the world today.

(Scientists chart a baby boom in southwestern Native Americans from 500 to 1300 A.D., NSF)

A planet orbiting the foreground object may cause an additional blip in the star's brightness.

('Iceball' Planet Discovered Through Microlensing, NASA)