How to Use dipstick in a Sentence

dipstick

noun
  • Some dipstick cut in front of me on the highway.
  • To check your oil levels, pull up the dipstick and look at where the oil is.
    — Keenan Thompson, USA Today, 19 June 2025
  • Wait a few minutes then check the new oil levels with the dipstick.
    — Keenan Thompson, USA Today, 23 Oct. 2025
  • Wipe oil off the dipstick with a towel, then reinsert it and take it out again.
    — Keenan Thompson, USA Today, 23 Oct. 2025
  • Check the oil level using the dipstick.
    — Jamie L. Lareau, Freep.com, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Even something as small as a dipstick and tube adds to the cost of the vehicle.
    — Hartford Courant, 13 Mar. 2026
  • Replace the dipstick and oil cap after changing the oil.
    — Timothy Dale, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Oct. 2025
  • This fluid has a dipstick that's separate from the stick used for the engine oil but works the same way.
    — Keenan Thompson, USA Today, 19 June 2025
  • Insert the dipstick back all the way in, and then pull it out and hold it horizontally to read it.
    — Krista Soriano, Cosmopolitan, 25 Feb. 2016
  • The mechanic should have checked both the oil capacity and the dipstick.
    — Ray Magliozzi, courant.com, 6 Oct. 2019
  • Then, remove the dipstick from its spot, wipe it off on a clean rag or paper towel, and push it back all the way into its home and pull it back out again.
    — Kyle Westwood, Good Housekeeping, 4 Sep. 2018
  • One basic screening tool, a urine dipstick test, can detect traces of blood and protein and is very inexpensive.
    — Charles Schmidt, Scientific American, 17 Mar. 2026
  • The gasoline engine's oil dipstick was already accessible from the ground.
    — Terry Troy, cleveland.com, 21 May 2017
  • Gilbert compares individual antibody titers with a dipstick for oil in a car.
    — Tasnim Ahmed, CNN, 22 Mar. 2022
  • Drivetrain Check the dipsticks for the engine and transmission.
    — Mike Allen, Popular Mechanics, 27 Aug. 2017
  • The drug identifiers come in a variety of models such as dipsticks and strips, as well as more covert options that look like nail polish, cups, coasters and straws.
    — Andrea Sachs, chicagotribune.com, 15 Dec. 2017
  • The transmission fluid dipstick has also been moved to provide ground-level access on gasoline models.
    — Terry Troy, cleveland.com, 21 May 2017
  • Cornish also likes the idea of abandoning the dipsticks altogether and making the yeast available as sachets of powder.
    — Ed Yong, The Atlantic, 18 July 2017
  • Your dipstick shows a low level, is the color of institutional linoleum and smells like the bottom of a barbecue pit after a biker wedding.
    — Automotive Editors, Popular Mechanics, 8 Feb. 2017
  • Usually, they're diagnosed with a dipstick analysis like the one Price took or by sending the urine sample to a lab to look for bacteria.
    — Suzannah Weiss, chicagotribune.com, 5 July 2019
  • But standard dipstick testing, in which a doctor dips a plastic stick into a urine sample to check it for signs of bacteria in the office, kept coming back negative.
    — Suzannah Weiss, chicagotribune.com, 5 July 2019
  • The task of periodically checking the liquids was typically carried out by a young Russian who climbed on top of the tanks with a dipstick.
    — Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2022
  • Removing the dipstick when an electronic sensor is already on the engine simplifies production costs and eliminates two or more parts from the engine.
    — Hartford Courant, 13 Mar. 2026
  • Other heaters include block heaters that bolt electrical elements to the exterior of the engine, oil heaters that take the place of a dipstick and coolant heaters to keep the antifreeze from, well, freezing.
    — Dwight Adams, Indianapolis Star, 2 Jan. 2018
  • Antibody and antigen tests are typically run as lateral flow immunoassays, says Lalli, and—like pregnancy tests—come as a dipstick.
    — Naomi Xu Elegant, Fortune, 26 May 2020
  • It's detected only on a urine dipstick, often a routine one performed during a check-up, and confirmed by microscopic examination of the urine sample.
    — Colleen Doherty, Verywell Health, 12 Jan. 2026
  • Traditionally, urinalysis has been performed using test strips; a typical dipstick test, which changes color to reflect a positive or negative reading, costs some five dollars and can be done anywhere.
    — Colton Wooten, The New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2019

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dipstick.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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