trip
trip — noun
1. A visit to a place that takes you away from home and back again, usually lasting
A visit to a place that takes you away from home and back again, usually lasting just a few hours or days.
Tara took a bus trip from Taipei to Kaohsiung to visit her grandmother.
trip + from [place] + to [place]
The school organized a day trip to the National Museum of History.
day trip — compound noun for a short visit
Christopher makes a business trip to Tokyo every three months.
business trip — fixed compound
My family planned a weekend trip to the beach, but the rain ruined it.
The trip to the supermarket took Megan longer than expected because of the traffic.
trip + to [place] for everyday errands
- day trip
- business trip
- school trip
- field trip
- weekend trip
- trip abroad
- trip overseas
Grammar Patterns
trip + to + place
trip + from + place + to + place
on a + adj + trip
Usage Note
Countable noun. Commonly used with descriptive adjectives (day, business, school, field, weekend) before the word trip.
Common Mistakes
2. When your foot hits an object as you move, making you lose your balance and ofte
When your foot hits an object as you move, making you lose your balance and often fall to the ground.
Selim tripped over a tree root and scraped his knee on the pavement.
trip + over + object
The old woman had a bad trip on the uneven stairs and broke her wrist.
have a trip — noun pattern for the event
Faisal's trip on the loose carpet caused him to spill coffee on his shirt.
A trip on the wet floor sent Sivan's stack of papers flying everywhere.
Hyun's trip on the hiking trail twisted his ankle badly.
- trip over a cable
- trip on a step
- bad trip
- nasty trip
Grammar Patterns
trip + over + object
trip + on + object
have a trip
Usage Note
Usually describes the whole event of stumbling, not just the moment of catching the foot. Often used with over (physical objects) or on (surfaces or obstacles).
Common Mistakes
3. A powerful mental state caused by taking a mind-altering drug, in which the pers
A powerful mental state caused by taking a mind-altering drug, in which the person sees or hears imaginary things as if they were actually happening.
In the 1960s, some musicians wrote songs about their experiences on acid trips.
acid trip — specific compound for LSD
Hugo described his trip as both terrifying and deeply life-changing.
The documentary warned young people about the dangers of a bad trip.
bad trip — fixed collocation for unpleasant drug experience
Maeve's first trip on hallucinogenic mushrooms lasted more than twelve hours.
- bad trip
- acid trip
- have a trip
- trip on LSD
- hallucination
a medical or clinical term for sensing things that are not real
- psychedelic experience
more formal and neutral than trip
Grammar Patterns
have a trip
bad trip
acid trip
Usage Note
Informal. Typically refers to psychedelic drugs such as LSD or magic mushrooms. A bad trip is a frightening or unpleasant experience, while an acid trip refers specifically to LSD.
4. A person, event, or activity that is so unusual or fun that it feels exciting in
A person, event, or activity that is so unusual or fun that it feels exciting in a surprising way.
The whole music festival was such a trip — I have never seen anything like it.
such a trip — evaluative pattern
Lakan's uncle is a real trip; he tells the wildest stories about his travels.
a real trip — describing a person
The virtual reality game was a complete trip, with colours and sounds rushing at me from everywhere.
Meeting the artist in person was a trip — she was even more eccentric than I expected.
- such a trip
- a real trip
- a complete trip
Grammar Patterns
be a trip
such a trip
Usage Note
Very informal slang. Use with caution in formal writing. Often preceded by such a, a real, a complete, or quite a.
5. A period when someone is completely caught up in a particular feeling, interest,
A period when someone is completely caught up in a particular feeling, interest, or way of behaving, often in an unhealthy way.
After winning the award, Hugo went on an ego trip that annoyed his colleagues.
ego trip — compound for excessive self-importance
Tamás has been on a guilt trip ever since he forgot his mother's birthday.
guilt trip — compound for excessive guilt
The manager is on a power trip lately, making everyone work extra hours for no reason.
power trip — compound for controlling behaviour
Listening to old records from her teenage years sent Antonia on a nostalgia trip.
nostalgia trip — compound for sentimental reminiscing
- ego trip
- guilt trip
- power trip
- nostalgia trip
- on a trip
Grammar Patterns
[emotion/noun] + trip
on a + [adj] + trip
Usage Note
Always used in compound noun patterns like ego trip, guilt trip, power trip, or nostalgia trip. The person experiencing it is described as being on a [type] trip.
6. An unintentional error, especially one that causes a moment of awkwardness or em
An unintentional error, especially one that causes a moment of awkwardness or embarrassment.
The lawyer made a trip on the client's name in court, causing an awkward silence.
make a trip — verb + noun pattern for errors
Amira's trip in the calculations led to a major loss for the company.
One small trip in the spelling of her name made the whole certificate look wrong.
Hyun's trip during the presentation made everyone laugh, but he recovered smoothly.
- make a trip
- a trip in the calculations
Grammar Patterns
make a trip
a trip in [something]
Usage Note
Less common than mistake or error. Often describes a verbal slip or a small oversight rather than a serious fault. Frequent in British English.
a guilt trip
idiomWords or actions meant to make someone feel bad about something they did or didn't do.
Maya's mother gave her a guilt trip for not calling.
Why did you lay a guilt trip on Diego for missing the party?
An experience of thinking about or revisiting happy times from the past.
Looking at old photos was a nice trip down memory lane.
Brian took a walk down memory lane when he visited his childhood home.
trip — verb
1. To strike your foot on an obstacle while walking or running, so that you lose yo
To strike your foot on an obstacle while walking or running, so that you lose your balance and sometimes hit the ground.
Antonia tripped over the edge of the rug and dropped her coffee cup.
trip + over + object
Lakan tripped on the uneven pavement while jogging in the park.
trip + on + surface
Be careful not to trip over the toys that the children left on the floor.
The runner tripped on a hurdle and fell forward onto the track.
Megan tripped over her own shoelaces and landed on the soft grass.
- trip over a cable
- trip on a step
- trip on the stairs
- trip and fall
- stumble
you can stumble without falling; tripping usually involves an external obstacle
- lose your footing
more formal; the cause could be slippery ground rather than an obstacle
Grammar Patterns
trip + over + object
trip + on + object
trip + object (causative)
Usage Note
Intransitive (most common): subject trips. Transitive (less common): A person or object trips someone — 'The dog ran across my path and tripped me.'
Common Mistakes
2. To walk or run with light, quick, and graceful steps, as if you are barely touch
To walk or run with light, quick, and graceful steps, as if you are barely touching the ground.
The little girl tripped happily down the garden path, singing to herself.
trip + happily + direction — adverb pattern
Christopher tripped lightly across the stage during the dance performance.
trip + lightly — manner adverb
We watched a deer trip through the misty meadow at dawn.
Megan tripped down the stairs in her new shoes, full of morning energy.
- trip lightly
- trip along
- trip down
- trip across
Grammar Patterns
trip + adverb of direction
trip + along/down/across
Usage Note
Literary or old-fashioned. Found mostly in stories, poems, and descriptive writing. Not used in everyday conversation to describe walking.
3. To operate a control — such as a switch, button, or lever — that turns an electr
To operate a control — such as a switch, button, or lever — that turns an electrical device or system on or off.
Amira tripped the circuit breaker when she plugged in the old space heater.
trip + circuit breaker — electrical collocation
The security guard tripped the alarm system when he opened the back door after hours.
trip + alarm system — security collocation
Hugo tripped the main switch and the whole room lit up immediately.
Do not touch that red lever — it will trip the emergency shutdown sequence.
The system automatically trips when it detects a power surge.
intransitive: system trips automatically
- trip a switch
- trip a circuit breaker
- trip an alarm
- trip a fuse
Grammar Patterns
trip + a switch/lever
trip + a circuit breaker
trip + an alarm
Usage Note
Transitive (more common): 'The repairman tripped the switch.' Intransitive: 'The fuse tripped when the current was too high.' The subject of the intransitive form is usually a device or system, not a person.
4. To use a hallucinogenic drug that produces powerful imaginary sensations, making
To use a hallucinogenic drug that produces powerful imaginary sensations, making you perceive sounds, sights, or feelings that only exist in your mind.
Cyrus claimed he could see colours and hear music in his head when he tripped on LSD.
trip + on + [drug name]
The documentary showed what happens when people trip on hallucinogenic mushrooms.
Many young people in the 1960s experimented with tripping on psychedelic substances.
Ingrid warned her friends never to trip alone because the effects can be dangerous and frightening.
- trip on LSD
- trip on mushrooms
- be tripping
- trip out
- hallucinate
the clinical or medical term; not slang
Grammar Patterns
trip + on + drug
be tripping
Usage Note
Slang. Almost always refers to psychedelic or hallucinogenic drugs (LSD, psilocybin). The present participle tripping is also used as an adjective: 'He is tripping.'
5. To make a short journey somewhere, usually for enjoyment or a specific reason.
To make a short journey somewhere, usually for enjoyment or a specific reason.
This summer, we plan to trip through the mountains of central Taiwan.
trip + through + [area]
Faisal and Sivan tripped along the coast road, stopping at every small fishing village.
The hiking club tripped to the countryside for a weekend of camping and exploring.
Tomás and his sister tripped to the neighbouring town to buy fresh vegetables from the morning market.
- trip to the coast
- trip through the countryside
- trip along the shore
- travel
broader and more common; can apply to any distance or duration
Grammar Patterns
trip + to + place
trip + through + place
trip + along + route
Usage Note
Less common than the noun form. In modern English, 'take a trip' (noun) is far more frequent than 'trip' as a verb meaning to travel. This verb sense sounds slightly old-fashioned or literary.