tip down
B2 informal separable both
In simple words
To pour or tilt something down, or to rain really hard.
Literal meaning: To cause something to tip or tilt in a downward direction.
Meanings
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."
Grammar: inseparable
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."
Grammar: separable
Usage notes
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.
Commonly used with
rain water container bucket lorry load
Forms
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
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