1 B1 neutral
To cause something or oneself to lean backward.
"He tipped his chair back and stared at the ceiling."
separable
tip back
B2 neutral separable transitive/intransitive
To lean, tilt, or pour something in a backward direction.
In plain English
To lean or pour something toward the back.
What does "tip back" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B2 neutral
To tilt a container backward to pour out its contents.
"She tipped the bottle back and took a long drink of water."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To cause something to tilt in a backward direction.
Actually means
To lean or pour something toward the back.
Usage tip
Used both physically (tipping a chair back) and in contexts of drinking (tipping a bottle back). Intransitive use is natural: 'the chair tipped back'. Also used for reclining seats, e.g. on aircraft.
Words that pair with "tip back"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
chair head bottle seat glass hat
How to conjugate "tip back"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
tip back
I/you/we/they
3rd person
tips back
he/she/it
Past simple
tiped back
yesterday
Past participle
tiped back
have + pp
-ing form
tiping back
continuous
Hear "tip back" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "tip back" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
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