whip
A lash; a pliant, flexible instrument, such as a rod (commonly of cane or rattan) or a plaited or braided rope or thong (commonly of leather) used to create a sharp "crack" sound for directing or herding animals.
Example
“I had to use the whip to get the sheep's attention.”
Other meanings
The same instrument used to strike a person or animal for corporal punishment or torture.
A blow administered with a whip.
A kind of
- instrument
Kinds of whip
- cat
- riding crop
- hunting whip
Word history
From Middle Low German "wippen" (to move quickly).
Where this comes from
This definition is adapted from “whip” on Wiktionary, by its contributors; related-word lists use Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0, based on Princeton WordNet), published under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is published under the same licence.