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noun B1 Intermediate Common

hip

hihp
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Hip (noun) means the joint and surrounding area where the leg meets the pelvis. Example: “She broke her hip in the fall and needed surgery.”

noun
1
The joint and surrounding area where the leg meets the pelvis.
"She broke her hip in the fall and needed surgery."
"He put his hands on his hips and waited."
"My hip aches when I walk up the hill."
2
The fruit produced by a rose plant, especially the rosehip.
"Rosehip syrup is made from the hips left after the flowers fade."
"Birds feed on the red hips that stay on the bush through winter."
"We picked wild hips from the hedge to make jelly."
adj
1
Fashionable, trendy, and up-to-date.
"The new bar is popular with a hip young crowd."
"He thinks he's pretty hip for his age."
"They opened a hip café that sells oat milk coffee."

How to use hip

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishThe body part between your waist and thigh, or informally, something cool and fashionable.

When to use it

The "fashionable" sense is casual/informal, popular from the mid-20th century onward.

Common pairings
hip joint hip replacement hip and trendy
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Word forms

Plural
hips
Third person singular
hips
Past tense
hipped
Comparative
hipper
Superlative
hippest
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Fill the gap

Can you complete this real example?

She broke her _____ in the fall and needed surgery.

Etymology

From Old English hype, from Proto-Germanic *hupiz.

Origin: Old English

hip joint haunch pelvic joint pelvis coxa rosehip rose hip pelvic arch pelvic girdle articulatio coxae hep

Related words

Rhymes for hip

See all rhymes for hip →

Frequently asked questions

What does “hip” mean?
The word “hip” means the joint and surrounding area where the leg meets the pelvis. In plain terms, the body part between your waist and thigh, or informally, something cool and fashionable.
How do you pronounce “hip”?
“Hip” is pronounced hihp (/hɪp/ in IPA).
How do you use “hip” in a sentence?
Here is “hip” used in a sentence: “She broke her hip in the fall and needed surgery.”
What part of speech is “hip”?
Depending on how it is used, “hip” can be a noun and an adjective.
Where does the word “hip” come from?
The word “hip” comes from Old English. From Old English hype, from Proto-Germanic *hupiz.
Is “hip” a common word?
“Hip” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.
How many meanings does “hip” have?
“Hip” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: the joint and surrounding area where the leg meets the pelvis.
Where is the hip located?
The hip is found where the top of the thigh bone meets the pelvis, on either side of the body below the waist. It includes the ball-and-socket joint itself plus the surrounding muscles and soft tissue, forming the area you rest your hand on when standing.
What type of joint is the hip?
The hip is a ball-and-socket joint, one of the most mobile in the body. The rounded head of the thigh bone fits into a cup-shaped socket in the pelvis, allowing the leg to move forward, backward, sideways, and to rotate, while still bearing the body's weight.
Can a hip be replaced?
Yes. Hip replacement is a common and well-established operation in which a damaged or worn joint, often caused by arthritis or a fracture, is replaced with an artificial one made of metal, ceramic, or plastic. It typically relieves pain and restores much of the joint's natural movement.

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