nipping
Americanadjective
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sharp or biting, as cold.
-
sarcastic; caustic.
adjective
-
sharp and biting
a nipping wind
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sarcastic; bitter
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of nipping
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Rumbling in from the Nursery End, nipping the ball down the slope to left-hander Devon Conway.
From BBC • Jun. 4, 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
They harassed the poor puffin, nipping at his tail and his wings, and finally they grabbed his fish and sent him tumbling into the sea.
From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
