pliers

British  

/ ˈplaɪəz /

plural noun

1. a gripping tool consisting of two hinged arms with usually serrated jaws that close on the workpiece

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Etymology

Origin of pliers

C16: from _ply ¹

Example Sentences

“Are they scrappy? Yes. Are they all working in bombed-out buildings with pliers found on the side of the road? No,” said Justin Zeefe, a founding partner at Los Angeles- and Kyiv-based Green Flag Ventures.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 1, 2025

Using pliers, a hot soldering iron, scissors and other tools, Terrell Glenn and Cierra Milton taught participants how to assemble and connect a large button to a battery-operated toy.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 22, 2023

Border Patrol agents used pliers to cut open a passage through the thickets of barbed wire.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 2, 2023

He has seen the worst that life can offer, and now his art, whether by paintbrush, pliers or microphone, is made with those stakes in mind.

From Washington Post • Mar. 10, 2023

Some of the trees were cut in half, as though a huge pair of pliers had snipped off the tops.

From "Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World" by Ashley Herring Blake