nipping

[ nip-ing ]
See synonyms for nipping on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. sharp or biting, as cold.

  2. sarcastic; caustic.

Origin of nipping

1
First recorded in 1540–50; nip1 + -ing2

Other words from nipping

  • nip·ping·ly, adverb

Words Nearby nipping

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use nipping in a sentence

  • So they held the prisoner fast, and led him to the brooklet, nipping his throat tightly to choke an outcry.

    God Wills It! | William Stearns Davis
  • Streaks of gray haze rose a foot or two into the nipping air, and the clash of shovels had a new, harsh ring.

    The Girl From Keller's | Harold Bindloss
  • Mayo braved nipping wind and iced rigging and took the glass to the main crosstrees.

    Blow The Man Down | Holman Day
  • We'd find their tracks and places where they'd been nipping off the ends of branches and twigs, and follow them up.

    Beautiful Joe | Marshall Saunders
  • And while he slept, a nipping wind from the far, northern Highlands swooped down on the mist and sent it flying out to sea.

    Greyfriars Bobby | Eleanor Atkinson

British Dictionary definitions for nipping

nipping

/ (ˈnɪpɪŋ) /


adjective
  1. sharp and biting: a nipping wind

  2. sarcastic; bitter

Derived forms of nipping

  • nippingly, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012