v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Tripped p. pr. & vb. n. Tripping. ] [ OE. trippen; akin to D. trippen, Dan. trippe, and E. tramp. See Tramp. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

This horse anon began to trip and dance. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

Come, and trip it, as you go,
On the light fantastic toe. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

She bounded by, and tripped so light
They had not time to take a steady sight. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To make a brief journey or pleasure excursion; as, to trip to Europe. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Fig.: To be guilty of a misstep; to commit an offense against morality, propriety, or rule; to err; to mistake; to fail. “Till his tongue trip.” Locke. [ 1913 Webster ]

A blind will thereupon comes to be led by a blind understanding; there is no remedy, but it must trip and stumble. South. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

What? dost thou verily trip upon a word? R. Browning. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. A quick, light step; a lively movement of the feet; a skip. [ 1913 Webster ]

His heart bounded as he sometimes could hear the trip of a light female step glide to or from the door. Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A brief or rapid journey; an excursion or jaunt. [ 1913 Webster ]

I took a trip to London on the death of the queen. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A false step; a stumble; a misstep; a loss of footing or balance. Fig.: An error; a failure; a mistake. [ 1913 Webster ]

Imperfect words, with childish trips. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

Each seeming trip, and each digressive start. Harte. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A small piece; a morsel; a bit. [ Obs. ] “A trip of cheese.” Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. A stroke, or catch, by which a wrestler causes his antagonist to lose footing. [ 1913 Webster ]

And watches with a trip his foe to foil. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

It is the sudden trip in wrestling that fetches a man to the ground. South. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. (Naut.) A single board, or tack, in plying, or beating, to windward. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. A herd or flock, as of sheep, goats, etc. [ Prov. Eng. & Scott. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

8. A troop of men; a host. [ Obs. ] Robert of Brunne. [ 1913 Webster ]

9. (Zool.) A flock of widgeons. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. 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. [ 1913 Webster ]

The words of Hobbes's defense trip up the heels of his cause. Abp. Bramhall. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Fig.): To overthrow by depriving of support; to put an obstacle in the way of; to obstruct; to cause to fail. [ 1913 Webster ]

To trip the course of law, and blunt the sword. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To detect in a misstep; to catch; to convict; also called trip up. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

These her women can trip me if I err. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Naut.) (a) To raise (an anchor) from the bottom, by its cable or buoy rope, so that it hangs free. (b) To pull (a yard) into a perpendicular position for lowering it. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Mach.) 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. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

n. [ Pref. tri- + palmitate. ] (Chem.) A palmitate derived from three molecules of palmitic acid. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Pref. tri- + palmitin. ] (Physiol. Chem.) See Palmitin. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) See Trepang. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. tri- + parted. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. (Her.) Parted into three piece; having three parts or pieces; -- said of the field or of a bearing; as, a cross triparted. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Bot.) Divided nearly to the base into three segments or lobes. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Divisible into three parts. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ See Tripartite. ] (Arith.) Dividing into three parts; -- said of a number which exactly divides another into three parts. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. tripartitus; tri- (see Tri-) + partitus, p. p. of partiri to part, to divide. See Part, v. i. ] 1. Divided into three parts; triparted; as, a tripartite leaf. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Having three corresponding parts or copies; as, to make indentures tripartite. A. Smith. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Made between three parties; as, a tripartite treaty. [ 1913 Webster ]