English · Greetings & Phrases
on the tip of my tongue
/ɒn ðə tɪp əv maɪ tʌŋ/
[/ɒn ðə tɪp əv maɪ tʌŋ/]
almost remembered
Intermediatephrase
Definition
Used when you are sure you know something but cannot quite remember it at that moment.
Example
Her name is on the tip of my tongue, but I just can't seem to recall it right now.
Her name is on the tip of my tongue, but I just can't seem to recall it right now.
Etymology
An 18th-century phrase imagining a word poised at the tongue's edge, ready but not quite spoken.
How & Where It’s Used
Common for describing something almost, but not quite, remembered.