"dip one's toe in" meaning in English

See dip one's toe in in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

Forms: dips one's toe in [present, singular, third-person], dipping one's toe in [participle, present], dipped one's toe in [participle, past], dipped one's toe in [past]
Head templates: {{en-verb|*}} dip one's toe in (third-person singular simple present dips one's toe in, present participle dipping one's toe in, simple past and past participle dipped one's toe in)
  1. (idiomatic, figuratively) To explore or begin; to enter or get involved in tentatively and for the first time. Tags: figuratively, idiomatic Synonyms: dip one's toe into, dip one's toes in, dip one's toes into, dip a toe in, dip a toe into Related terms: dip one's toe in the water Translations (begin to explore, get involved): παίρνω το βάπτισμα του πυρός (paírno to váptisma tou pyrós) (Greek), dar os primeiros passos (Portuguese), pegar a manha (Portuguese)

Alternative forms

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  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "dips one's toe in",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "dipping one's toe in",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "dipped one's toe in",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "dipped one's toe in",
      "tags": [
        "past"
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      "expansion": "dip one's toe in (third-person singular simple present dips one's toe in, present participle dipping one's toe in, simple past and past participle dipped one's toe in)",
      "name": "en-verb"
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
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        {
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      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2019 June 14, Gwilym Mumford, Hannah Verdier, Max Sanderson, Josh Toussaint-Strauss, “A gripping, intimate account of the moon landing – podcasts of the week”, in The Guardian:",
          "text": "Given how many other politicians, from Ed Miliband to Bill Clinton, have dipped their toes into the world of podcasting, it’s perhaps inevitable that Barack and Michelle Obama are entering the field too.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2019 December 17, Hannah Sayle, “Beloved St. Paul craft beer bar Happy Gnome is closing”, in Star Tribune:",
          "text": "The Happy Gnome, on Selby Av. in St. Paul, became a place to dip one's toe in the burgeoning beer world. With a focus on domestic craft and quality import beers, this cozy bar was a welcome home to curious beer lovers.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To explore or begin; to enter or get involved in tentatively and for the first time."
      ],
      "id": "en-dip_one's_toe_in-en-verb-jdOOwJiv",
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        "(idiomatic, figuratively) To explore or begin; to enter or get involved in tentatively and for the first time."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "dip one's toe in the water"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "dip one's toe into"
        },
        {
          "word": "dip one's toes in"
        },
        {
          "word": "dip one's toes into"
        },
        {
          "word": "dip a toe in"
        },
        {
          "word": "dip a toe into"
        }
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          "code": "el",
          "lang": "Greek",
          "roman": "paírno to váptisma tou pyrós",
          "sense": "begin to explore, get involved",
          "word": "παίρνω το βάπτισμα του πυρός"
        },
        {
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "begin to explore, get involved",
          "word": "dar os primeiros passos"
        },
        {
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "begin to explore, get involved",
          "word": "pegar a manha"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "dip one's toe in"
}
{
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      "form": "dips one's toe in",
      "tags": [
        "present",
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        "third-person"
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    },
    {
      "form": "dipping one's toe in",
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        "present"
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    },
    {
      "form": "dipped one's toe in",
      "tags": [
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    },
    {
      "form": "dipped one's toe in",
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        "past"
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      "name": "en-verb"
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        {
          "ref": "2019 June 14, Gwilym Mumford, Hannah Verdier, Max Sanderson, Josh Toussaint-Strauss, “A gripping, intimate account of the moon landing – podcasts of the week”, in The Guardian:",
          "text": "Given how many other politicians, from Ed Miliband to Bill Clinton, have dipped their toes into the world of podcasting, it’s perhaps inevitable that Barack and Michelle Obama are entering the field too.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2019 December 17, Hannah Sayle, “Beloved St. Paul craft beer bar Happy Gnome is closing”, in Star Tribune:",
          "text": "The Happy Gnome, on Selby Av. in St. Paul, became a place to dip one's toe in the burgeoning beer world. With a focus on domestic craft and quality import beers, this cozy bar was a welcome home to curious beer lovers.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
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        "To explore or begin; to enter or get involved in tentatively and for the first time."
      ],
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          "involved"
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        [
          "tentatively",
          "tentatively"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic, figuratively) To explore or begin; to enter or get involved in tentatively and for the first time."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively",
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "dip one's toe into"
    },
    {
      "word": "dip one's toes in"
    },
    {
      "word": "dip one's toes into"
    },
    {
      "word": "dip a toe in"
    },
    {
      "word": "dip a toe into"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "roman": "paírno to váptisma tou pyrós",
      "sense": "begin to explore, get involved",
      "word": "παίρνω το βάπτισμα του πυρός"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "begin to explore, get involved",
      "word": "dar os primeiros passos"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "begin to explore, get involved",
      "word": "pegar a manha"
    }
  ],
  "word": "dip one's toe in"
}

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This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-11-28 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-11-21 using wiktextract (65a6e81 and 0dbea76). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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