sip

1. (transitive) To drink slowly, small mouthfuls at a time.Examples: "He held out to me a bowl of steaming broth, that filled the room with a savour sweeter, ten thousand times, to me than every rose and lily of the world; yet would not let me drink it at a gulp, but made me sip it with a spoon like any baby."; "A waiter brought his aperitif, which was a small scotch and soda, and as he sipped it gratefully he sighed."; "bright young things in jeans and T-shirts huddle around laptops, sipping lattes or munching on free food."transitive

2. (intransitive) To drink a small quantity.Examples: "[She] rais'd it to her mouth with sober grace; / Then, sipping, offered to the next in place."intransitive

3. (Scotland, US, dated) Alternative form of seep.ScotlandUSalt-ofalternativedated

4. (figurative) To consume slowly.Examples: "Sales of lightbulbs which sip electricity, and whose increased cost in the shops is easily paid for over their lifetime, used to double every year; in 1990/1991, they leapt sevenfold."; "It makes a small car, the Chevy Cobalt, which sips petrol in moderation and is therefore selling well."; "Even when turned off, these devices can idly sip electricity from your outlet costing you money."figuratively