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Glite Dictionary
💸 To use a little 📖 To read parts
to dip into

to dip into

4 4.0
Use a small amount of money or other resource for a short time
  • phrasal verb
  • /dɪp ˈɪntu/
translation icon : recurrir a
  • You only need to dip into it a little bit.
  • dip into savings
  • dip into funds
  • dip into reserves

OK, I, I just, I need to, we're going to dip into yellow tails.

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Examples

  • In a small, exclusive sports store in the East 70's, she finally finds what she's searching for: a pair of jodhpurs and some handsome leather boots (that she has to dip into her savings to pay for).

    Fiction book (2001)

  • You can never dip into it twice in the same spot.

  • OK, I'm going to dip into this one.

  • So I'm going to dip into the gold one first.

  • So we're going to dip into this powder here and just press it on.

  • Faced with making large cuts in donations to community organizations, some council members suggested dipping into this fund.

    Blog text (5)

  • All right, I'm going to dip into this makeup forever palette.

  • So not just to read the Guardian or the Telegraph, but to dip into the source that you don't habitually read.

  • When it comes to the deductible, it's a question of whether you have $5,000 or more in a savings account that you wouldn't mind dipping into to pay doctors' bills.

    Blog text (5)

  • If money is tight, I may need to dip into my savings for unexpected expenses.

Antonyms

to use up
69 2.7

To finish all of something so nothing is left

How Much

to exhaust
68 3.7
to consume
172 3.2
to use
∞ 1.0
to dip into
4 4.0
to sample
95 2.6

Surface Forms

dip into infinitive
dipped into past
dipped into past participle
dipping into present participle
dips into third person singular

Morphology

dip + into

The sense 'to use or take a small part of something' is partly derivable from 'dip' (take a small amount) combined with 'into' (movement into something), so the basic image is accessible. However, the metaphorical extension to abstract targets (e.g., savings, time) and the phrasal-verb usage make the exact meaning and register less predictable for a B1 learner without prior exposure.

Etymology

Dip into originally made people think of putting a hand into a jar or piggy bank to take a little money for a short time. That's why it now means 'to use or take a small part' of something, like savings or a supply.