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phrasal verb

Definition of trip up, examples of trip up in a sentence.

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'trip up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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“Trip up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trip%20up. Accessed 17 Aug. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on trip up

Nglish: Translation of trip up for Spanish Speakers

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Trip up In english explanation

The meaning, explanation, definition and origin of the idiom/phrase "trip up", english idiom dictionary ( also found in vietnamese ).

Meaning of Trip up

Trip up phrasal verb

To hit your foot against something while you are walking or running and almost fall. 

Though he tripped up a big rock, he managed to regain his balance immediately.

Running without looking, the kid tripped up a rope, fell, and cried.

To catch someone’s foot and make them fall or almost fall    

The rope from out of nowhere tripped him up.

The bed tripped me up when I was in a hurry looking for my lost key.

To make a mistake or to speak with difficulty, repeating sounds or words and often stopping, before saying things correctly

So scared is she that she tripped up when being asked to describe her attacker.

Students are likely to trip up in the test. Probably because they become more worried when taking the test.

To make someone commit a mistake or to speak with difficulty, repeating sounds or words and often stopping, before saying things correctly

With a view to tripping students up, the examiner asked confusing questions.

This handwriting letter was so illegible that it tripped me up while reading it.

Other phrases about:

To stumble and fall.

1. Used to say that someone missteps or stumbles while walking.

2. Used to say that someone makes an unwise, miscalculated, or blundering act or decision.

Grammar and Usage of Trip up

• tripping up

The verb" strip" must be conjugated according to its tense.

Origin of Trip up

The origin of this phrase is not clear.

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To interfere somebosy's plan or bussiness

I don't mean to throw salt on your game but she is not a good girl for you to hang out with.

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Idioms and Phrases

Example sentences.

They spent their last few hundred dollars on a trip up to New York City, obtaining donor commitments that kept them alive.

Reverend Graham drew the meeting to a close by earnestly thanking the president for making the trip up the mountain.

I think the most unique experience at Highlands—maybe at all of Aspen—is a trip up to Highlands Bowl.

Apparently there were concerns Prince Harry might trip up and hurt himself next time.

Or it can be an up-close lesson in the kind of self-absorption and political ego that can trip up some in Washington.

The Comet started on her first trip up the Arkansas, being the first steam boat that ascended that river.

Here is one, to begin with, which will show once more how difficult it is to trip up a Scotchman.

It was late in the night, and the "Restless" was making her third trip up the river before anything happened.

Warner was at that moment undertaking his charmingly remembered trip up the Nile.

The exhausted rowers were lifted on board amid renewed cheering, and the trip up the river began.

Related Words

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

trip up ( third-person singular simple present trips up , present participle tripping up , simple past and past participle tripped up )

• ( intransitive ) To commit an error , make a mistake.
• ( transitive ) To cause (someone) to commit an error, trick into a mistake.
• ( intransitive ) To fall or stumble .
• ( transitive ) To cause (someone) to fall or stumble.

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Definition of trip up phrasal verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

• Read the questions carefully, because the examiners sometimes try to trip you up.

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Other results

• trip somebody up

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verb as in falter

Strongest matches

Strong matches

Weak matches

• be undecided
• drop the ball
• hem and haw
• speak haltingly

verb as in flounder

• come apart at the seams
• go at backwards
• go to pieces
• make a mess of
• miss one's cue
• stub one's toe

verb as in miss

• be late for
• fall flat on face

verb as in trap

Strongest match

Example Sentences

They spent their last few hundred dollars on a trip up to New York City, obtaining donor commitments that kept them alive.

Reverend Graham drew the meeting to a close by earnestly thanking the president for making the trip up the mountain.

I think the most unique experience at Highlands—maybe at all of Aspen—is a trip up to Highlands Bowl.

Apparently there were concerns Prince Harry might trip up and hurt himself next time.

Or it can be an up-close lesson in the kind of self-absorption and political ego that can trip up some in Washington.

The Comet started on her first trip up the Arkansas, being the first steam boat that ascended that river.

Here is one, to begin with, which will show once more how difficult it is to trip up a Scotchman.

It was late in the night, and the "Restless" was making her third trip up the river before anything happened.

Warner was at that moment undertaking his charmingly remembered trip up the Nile.

The exhausted rowers were lifted on board amid renewed cheering, and the trip up the river began.

Related Words

Words related to trip up are not direct synonyms, but are associated with the word trip up . Browse related words to learn more about word associations.

verb as in stumble, stutter

verb as in struggle; be in the dark

verb as in fail, make a mistake

Viewing 5 / 7 related words

From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.

Synonyms of 'trip someone up' in British English

Additional synonyms.

Browse alphabetically trip someone up

• trip someone up
• All ENGLISH synonyms that begin with 'T'

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• English Only

Trip someone over

• Thread starter kachibi
• Start date Nov 11, 2020

Senior Member

• Nov 11, 2020

Context: primary level English. I roughly know what "trip" means. It means someone fells because his/her feet hit something/ someone as he/she walks. I come across a phrasal verb "trip someone over" in a story about a group of kids being mean to a kid: They were so mean to him all day. They tripped him over. I know it means the kids try to kick him and make him fall down. But I am also curious: must "kicking" be involved? Can "pushing (no legs are involved) someone to the ground (hence he/she fells as well)" be regarded as "trip him over" as well?  

You "trip" someone who is running (or maybe walking). You put an obstacle, typically your foot, in front of them so that they fall over it. It is a very common move in football! (Though not strictly speaking allowed.)  

Keith Bradford

Kicking is not necessarily involved. The could trip him by placing a brick, a rope or a stick in his way, or even by bending down behind him while someone else pushes him.  

kachibi said: I come across a phrasal verb "trip someone over" They tripped him over. Click to expand...

@Keith Bradford You said "pushes him", do you mean the phrasal verb "trip someone over" also includes "pushing someone to the ground (so that he/she falls)" by hands not by foot?  

dojibear said: ...I have never herad "trip someone over" as a phrasal verb... Click to expand...

kachibi said: @Keith Bradford You said "pushes him", do you mean the phrasal verb "trip someone over" also includes "pushing someone to the ground (so that he/she falls)" by hands not by foot? Click to expand...

I have the same question that OP says in post #5. Background: if you "trip" someone, you cause them to stumble. If they stumble, they could fall over (no longer stand up) or they could recover (continue standing up). Question: does the BE expression "trip someone over" mean "trip them so that they fall over"? Or does it just mean "trip them" (they might fall over, or they might recover)?  

dojibear said: Question: does the BE expression "trip someone over" mean "trip them so that they fall over"? Click to expand...

dojibear said: I have never herad "trip someone over" as a phrasal verb. Are you sure there isn't some word after "over"? Click to expand...

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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Meet Colombia's 'Incredible' Invictus Games Team on Trip Abroad

Team Colombia athlete Rosa Sanchez Bermudez previously told PEOPLE that the "Invictus Games are like a family"

Janine Henni is a Royals Staff Writer for PEOPLE Digital, covering modern monarchies and the world's most famous families. Like Queen Elizabeth, she loves horses and a great tiara moment.

Eric Charbonneau/Archewell Foundation via Getty

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are spending time with members of Colombia's Invictus Games team during their trip to the country.

On Aug. 16, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex connected with competitors during the second day of their trip to the South American country .

The event in Bogotá convened athletes from the Colombian team with Invictus Games founder Prince Harry, who launched the international adaptive sports tournament for wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans in 2014.

Harry, 39, got involved towards the end of the visit. He joined a volleyball match with the partner of the country's vice president, Rafael Yerney Pinillo, while Meghan, 43, and Vice President Francia Márquez cheered them on.

Earlier, Prince Harry and Meghan were shown around the facilities of the Centro de Rehabilitación Inclusiva, touring the swimming pool, rock climbing wall gym and the rehabilitation areas. The couple talked to the athletes about their exercise regimens, their favorite workouts and how they stay strong.

“It’s amazing to see how many people can come together to form one team,” Prince Harry said in the center’s cardiovascular room. Marveling at the action, Meghan added, “They are all so incredible to watch."

After the match, Prince Harry made sure to greet a group of Korean War veterans, and the couple toured the center’s art hall which featured artwork created by Invictus athletes.

Duchess Meghan was gifted a painting, hand-knitted animals, a beaded necklace and matching earrings from some of the artists, while Prince Harry was awarded a special commemorative plaque from the Ministry of National Defense Veterans.

“To Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex,” read an athlete while presenting the gift to the Duke .

“In recognition and gratitude for your dedication and invaluable opportunities for recovery through sports and the Invictus Games for Colombian wounded, injured and sick Armed Forces and Police Personnel, serving or veterans.”

In September 2023, Colombia became the first South American country to participate in the Invictus Games by sending a delegation to the sixth edition of the competition in Düsseldorf, Germany. Prince Harry and Meghan watched the Colombian team compete in a gold medal sitting volleyball match against Poland and joined a group photo after the match wrapped.

Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty

Rosa Sanchez Bermudez, the Colombian team's first female competitor at the Invictus Games who was injured in her work as a police officer, previously told PEOPLE that the "Invictus Games are like a family." 

According to Colombia's profile page on the Invictus Games website, the Military Forces of Colombia have about 290,000 members across three branches.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex made the Invictus Games-related engagement after a busy second day in Bogotá, where they kicked off their Colombia trip on Aug. 15. Prince Harry and Meghan are in Colombia at the invitation of Vice President Francia Márquez, who announced on Aug. 1 that the couple "kindly accepted my invitation to visit our beautiful country" and would visit Bogotá, Cartagena and Cali.

Prince Harry and Meghan were welcomed to Colombia on Aug. 15 by Márquez, the first Black woman to hold the office of the country's vice presidency, and her husband, Rafael Yerney Pinillo. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex then headed to a charter school to join students for a discussion on social media, checked out performances at the National Centre for the Arts and spoke at a summit at EAN University about forging a safer online future.

"With the Archewell Foundation, me and my wife believe that information integrity is a fundamental right," Prince Harry said in part.

Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are next set to visit the cities of Cartagena and Cali as their Colombia trip continues. The agenda is focused on on the core work of their charitable Archewell Foundation and other causes close to their hearts, including the military community and female empowerment. 

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Vietnam’s top leader set to meet Xi during trip to China

BEIJING/HANOI – Vietnam’s Communist Party General Secretary To Lam is set to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing in the coming week in what would be his first overseas trip s ince taking over the country’s top leadership barely a month ago.

Mr Lam, who is concurrently Vietnam president, will visit China from Aug 18 to Aug 20, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

He is expected to have an audience with Mr Xi who travelled to Vietnam in late 2023 .

Mr Lam is scheduled to attend September’s United Nation’s General Assembly in the US, and possibly meet with US President Joe Biden, according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified because they’re not authorised to speak about his plans.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The back-to-back China-US trip underscores Vietnam’s enduring flexible foreign policy it calls bamboo diplomacy in approaching geopolitical issues.

Beijing as the first stop for Mr Lam instead of the US follows an “informal rule” that Vietnam’s new leader will often first travel to Laos and Cambodia before China, according to Mr Le Dang Doanh, an economist and former government adviser in Hanoi.

Mr Lam visited Laos and Cambodia in July as president.

The US would be next on Mr Lam’s international itinerary, said Mr Alexander Vuving, an Asia expert at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Hawaii.

“Vietnam’s top leader should go to China before going to the United States,” he said. “Doing so will signal Hanoi’s deference to Beijing, which is an important element of Vietnam’s current approach to relations with the great powers.”

The visit would “reassure the Chinese there will be no changes in policy” since Mr Lam took over after the death of long-time leader Nguyen Phu Trong in July, according to Emeritus Professor Carl Thayer from the University of New South Wales in Australia.

China is Vietnam’s largest trade partner and also with whom the country also has territorial disputes with in the South China Sea.

Mr Lam will seek to ensure that dozens of agreements signed during Mr Xi’s trip to Hanoi in December – including boosting trade and funding a cross-border railway – will materialise, Prof Thayer said.

“He wants to be seen as someone who stands up to China and also works with China as an equal,” Prof Thayer said. “Party to party relations are the most important conduits between China and Vietnam.”

As for the US, Vietnam earlier in August expressed displeasure with the Biden administration’s rejection of Hanoi’s request to be classified officially as a “market economy.” 

The decision was seen as a blow for the country’s efforts to boost exports to its most important market.

Yet Mr Lam, most likely, won’t use his meeting with Mr Xi as a way to tweak the US, Prof Thayer said. “He is not going to do anything in China that alienates the US,” he said.

Mr Lam will serve the remainder of Mr Trong’s third term, which ends in early 2026 when a new general secretary will be picked during the Party Congress. He became presiden t in May. BLOOMBERG

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Ariana Grande Partners With HeadCount to Give Fans a Chance to Win a Trip to the ‘Wicked’ Premiere

The two winners will also get a full glam experience from R.E.M. Beauty.

By Rania Aniftos

Rania Aniftos

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Ariana Grande is encouraging her fans to vote, paired with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

The “We Can’t Be Friends” superstar teamed up with nonprofit HeadCount to launch an exclusive fan sweepstakes via the organization’s Good to Vote initiative in order to increase voter registration among young people. 

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