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• nip
  nip

  verb (used with object)

  to squeeze or compress tightly between two surfaces or points; pinch; bite.
• Nip
  Nip

  noun

  a contemptuous term used to refer to a Japanese person.

nip

¹ American  

[nip] / nɪp /

verb (used with object)

nipped, nipping

1. to squeeze or compress tightly between two surfaces or points; pinch; bite.

2. to take off by pinching, biting, or snipping (usually followed byoff ).

   He nipped off a piece of steak and gave it to the dog.

3. to check in growth or development.

4. to affect sharply and painfully or injuriously, as a very cold temperature.

   a cold wind that nips the fingers.

   Synonyms:

   chill, cut, pierce, bite, freeze

5. Informal. to snatch away suddenly.

6. Informal. to defeat (an opponent) by a very close margin; edge out.

7. Informal. to steal or pilfer.

8. Nautical.

   1. (of ice) to press (a ship) from opposite sides.

   2. to seize (a taut rope) to another rope.

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verb (used without object)

nipped, nipping

1. Chiefly British Slang. to leave stealthily; sneak away; flee (often followed byaway ).

noun

1. an act of nipping; a pinch or small bite.

   The dog took several nips at our heels.

2. a biting quality, as in cold or frosty air.

   There's a nip in the air this morning.

3. sharp cold; a sharp touch of frost.

   The trees had felt the first nip of winter.

4. a sharp or biting remark.

5. a biting taste or tang, especially in some cheese.

6. a small bit or quantity of anything.

   a nip of bread to stave off hunger.

7. Nautical.

   1. an abrupt turn or twist in a rope.

   2. a part of a rope or chain bound by a seizing or nipper.

8. Usually nips. nipper.

idioms

1. nip in the bud. bud.

2. nip and tuck, with each competitor equaling or closely contesting the speed, scoring, or efforts of the other.

   It was nip and tuck as to which sailboat would reach port first.

nip ² American  

[nip] / nɪp /

noun

1. a small drink of alcoholic liquor; sip.

   a person who relishes an occasional nip.

2. Chiefly British. split.

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verb (used with or without object)

nipped, nipping

1. to drink (alcoholic liquor) in small sips, especially repeatedly.

Nip ³ American  

[nip] / nɪp /

noun

Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive.

1. a contemptuous term used to refer to a Japanese person.

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nip ¹ British  

/ nɪp /

verb

1. to catch or tightly compress, as between a finger and the thumb; pinch

2. (often foll by off) to remove by clipping, biting, etc

3. to give a small sharp bite (to)

   the dog nipped at his heels

4. (esp of the cold) to affect with a stinging sensation

5. to harm through cold

   the frost nipped the young plants

6. to check or destroy the growth of (esp in the phrase nip in the bud )

7. slang to steal

8. informal (intr; foll by along, up, out, etc) to hurry; dart

9. slang to snatch

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noun

1. the act of nipping; a pinch, snip, etc

2. 1. a frosty or chilly quality

   2. severe frost or cold

      the first nip of winter

3. a small piece or quantity

   he went out for a nip of fresh air

4. a sharp flavour or tang

5. archaic a taunting remark

6. 1. neck and neck

   2. informal plastic surgery performed for cosmetic reasons

7. slang to exert pressure on someone, esp in order to extort money

nip ² British  

/ nɪp /

noun

1. a small drink of spirits; dram

2. a measure of spirits usually equal to one sixth of a gill

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verb

1. to drink (spirits), esp habitually in small amounts

Nip ³ British  

/ nɪp /

noun

1. slang a derogatory word for a Japanese

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Sensitive Note

This term, patterned on the earlier term Jap , was first used in English shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Etymology

Origin of nip¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English nippen, nipe(n), nip “to bite, pinch,” from Old Norse hnippa “to poke, thrust”

Origin of nip²

First recorded in 1690–1700; from Dutch nippen “to sip”; nip ² in def. 2, short for earlier nipperkin “vessel holding half-pint or less”

Origin of Nip³

First recorded in 1942; short for Nipponese

Explanation

A nip is a tiny bite, a cold feeling, or a strong taste on your tongue. It’s also a verb for pinching or biting something, but not always in a bad way. Being nipped now and then isn’t a big deal. If a puppy nips your finger, no worries. The cold morning nip when you get out of bed is uncomfortable, but put on socks and you’re fine. Nipping can be a good thing sometimes, like in the phrase “nip it in the bud,” which means stopping a poor behavior or activity when it first starts. A nip can also mean a small sip of something, like hot chocolate — which is a good idea if you’re feeling a nip of a cold draft.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

nip Nip nipped nipping

As competitors nip at their heels, OpenAI and Anthropic have been spurred to increase investment in both engineers and data-center access at the expense of profitability.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

Shelter workers mentioned a previous bite but characterized it as a nip at the heels and “not a big deal,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 30, 2026

This is why a lot of Jews want to nip that rhetoric in the bud.

From Slate ● Dec. 19, 2025

With a bit of nip off the surface and the Kookaburra balls doing more than in years gone by, it might make sense to bowl a touch fuller.

From BBC ● Nov. 19, 2025

He quite naturally and casually took a nip at her hand before proceeding toward romance.

From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck

Me and Nip would meet up at his grandmother’s house, riding up and down the block every Christmas for four years.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 7, 2022

“They had no clue what he really was gonna do. I want everybody to know man, Nip put his heart and soul on Crenshaw and Slauson.”

From Washington Times ● Mar. 30, 2020

Mr. Ashenfelter, sometimes known by the childhood nickname of Nip, became a national sensation.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 7, 2018

Nip this in the bud now, otherwise you might be setting yourself up for a married life full of swallowed words and in-law-related distress.

From Slate ● Mar. 13, 2017

They had no children but they did have two pet monkeys, Nip and Tuck—disgusting creatures who should have been left in the jungle.

From "Homesick" by Jean Fritz

It was nipped in the bud by the court, which weighed in to uphold a lower court's ruling.

From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026

“You’ve stopped something growing. You’ve nipped it in the bud. You’ll never get it back, that moment, that shining morning face coming through the door.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026

I nipped out before the lunchtime rush and my first impression was "it's massive" followed swiftly by "how much?"

From BBC ● May 15, 2026

Hilton Worldwide Holdings appeared earlier this month to have nipped a similar public-relations crisis in the bud.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026

If they had known the various tender passages which had been nipped in the bud, they would have had the immense satisfaction of saying, “I told you so.”

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

The children had since been "nipping down" for short cool-off periods, said Judd, with a lesson also taking place in the unusual setting.

From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026

Claude-maker Anthropic has OpenAI, Google's Gemini and even Grok from xAI nipping at its heels in the market for professional AI.

From Barron's ● Feb. 22, 2026

In 1986, broadcasters began scrambling their signals in hopes of nipping their losses in the BUDs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 22, 2026

“The White Lotus” carried six nominations into the ceremony, with streaming hits like “Adolescence” and “Severance” nipping at its heels.

From Salon ● Jan. 11, 2026

She started nipping at the long red tail of Old Dan.

From "Where the Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls

Related Words

• nibble
• snap