To secretly warn or inform someone about something, especially something that will give them an advantage or help them prepare.
To secretly tell someone useful information they wouldn't otherwise know.
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
To secretly warn or give inside information to someone, especially to help them avoid trouble or catch someone else.
"An anonymous caller tipped off the police about the planned robbery."
A hotel cleaner tipped off immigration officials after finding false passports in a guest's room.
— Common news report phrasing; widely attested in UK press.
To give a journalist or news organisation private information about a story.
"Someone tipped off the press that the CEO was about to resign."
To give a tip that is passed off to someone.
To secretly tell someone useful information they wouldn't otherwise know.
Common in journalism, crime, and sports contexts. The noun 'tip-off' (always hyphenated or one word as a noun) is very frequently used. Often implies the information is confidential or passed privately. Also used as the start of a basketball game (the tip-off), though this sense is rarely used as a verb.
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Listen to native speakers using "tip off" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
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