Pipped

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Having lost by a very small margin in a contest or race ; covered with small dots or spots as a pattern or texture
2. Describes being barely beaten or edged out in competition ; decorated or marked with tiny spots or speckles
3. Indicates a close loss or narrow defeat in a competition ; characterized by a surface dotted with small marks or points

Etymology: A pip is the small seed inside a fruit, and the word is a shortened form of "pippin," a name for certain apples. That came from French "pépin," meaning seed. The same image explains the speckle sense: the spots on dice, dominoes and playing cards are called pips because they resemble seeds. The military sense is more striking. A captain in the British Army wears three pips on his shoulder, small insignia that mark his rank, so a seed-sized speck came to signal authority on a uniform. The sense of being narrowly beaten is less certain. Its link to the other senses is not firmly established, so the connection is best left open.

Synonyms: beaten, outdone, defeated, surpassed, overcome

Antonyms: won, succeeded, triumphed, conquered, mastered