1 B2 idiomatic informal
(British English, informal) To rain very heavily.
"We had to cancel the garden party because it started tipping down at noon."
inseparable
tip down
B2 informal separable transitive/intransitive
To tilt something downward, or (British English, informal) to rain very heavily.
In plain English
To pour or tilt something down, or to rain really hard.
What does "tip down" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B1 neutral
To tilt or incline something so that it faces or falls downward.
"He tipped the bucket down to empty out the dirty water."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To cause something to tip or tilt in a downward direction.
Actually means
To pour or tilt something down, or to rain really hard.
Usage tip
The rain sense ('it's tipping down') is distinctly British English and would not be understood in American English. In the physical sense, it describes tilting a container or surface downward.
Words that pair with "tip down"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
rain water container bucket lorry load
How to conjugate "tip down"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
tip down
I/you/we/they
3rd person
tips down
he/she/it
Past simple
tiped down
yesterday
Past participle
tiped down
have + pp
-ing form
tiping down
continuous
Hear "tip down" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "tip down" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
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