tip-off (plural tip-offs)
- (idiomatic) An obvious clue or indication.
The broken window and overturned plant pots were a tip-off that something was wrong.
- (idiomatic) A report of suspicious behaviour, especially to an authority.
The police received a tip-off about a recent bank robbery.
1986 August 16, Marcos Bisticas-Cocoves, “Harry Hay Barred from Carrying NAMBLA Sign”, in Gay Community News, volume 14, number 5, page 1:Haws also alleged that Hay was engaged in a conspiracy to disrupt the parade. "People called a week before and said he would be doing something." The alleged tip-off was anonymous.
A report of suspicious behaviour, especially to an authority
- “tip-off”, in Collins English Dictionary.
- “tip-off”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
- “tip-off”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
- “tip-off”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present.