Synonyms Examples Word Origin
verb (used with object), nipped, nip·ping. to squeeze or compress tightly between two surfaces or points; pinch; bite. to take off by pinching, biting, or snipping (usually followed by off ): He nipped off a piece of steak and gave it to the dog. to check in growth or development. to affect sharply and painfully or injuriously, as a very cold temperature: a cold wind that nips the fingers. Informal to snatch away suddenly. Informal to defeat (an opponent) by a very close margin; edge. Informal to steal or pilfer. Nautical (of ice) to press (a ship) from opposite sides. to seize (a taut rope) to another rope. Show More
verb (used without object), nipped, nip·ping. Chiefly British Slang to leave stealthily; sneak away; flee (often followed by away ). Show More
an act of nipping; a pinch or small bite: The dog took several nips at our heels. a biting quality, as in cold or frosty air: There's a nip in the air this morning. sharp cold; a sharp touch of frost: The trees had felt the first nip of winter. a sharp or biting remark. a biting taste or tang, especially in some cheese. a small bit or quantity of anything: a nip of bread to stave off hunger. Nautical an abrupt turn or twist in a rope. a part of a rope or chain bound by a seizing or nipper . Usually nips. nipper(def 2) .Show More
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 in the bud . bud1 (def 13) .Show More
Origin of nip 1 1350–1400; Middle English nyppe to pinch < Old Norse hnippa to poke, thrust
a small drink of alcoholic liquor; sip: a person who relishes an occasional nip. Chiefly British split(def 27) .Show More
verb (used with or without object), nipped, nip·ping. to drink (alcoholic liquor) in small sips, especially repeatedly. Show More
Origin of nip 2 1690–1700; < Dutch nippen to sip; in def. 2, short for earlier nipperkin vessel holding half-pint or less
noun, adjective Slang : Extremely Disparaging and Offensive a contemptuous term used to refer to a Japanese person. Show More
Origin of Nip First recorded in
1942; short for
Nipponese Usage note This term, patterned on the earlier term Jap , was first used in English shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words for nips snap ,
nibble ,
sip ,
shot ,
pinch ,
bite ,
drop ,
jolt ,
dram ,
portion ,
finger ,
catch ,
mouthful ,
slug ,
morsel ,
snifter ,
grip ,
twitch ,
clip ,
twinge Examples from the Web for nips Contemporary Examples of nips Historical Examples of nips There was a playfulness about her nips and a gentleness that prevented them from really hurting him.
She is a very cross hen, and she nips my fingers when I feed her.
It gets under my bearskin; it nips my ears and numbs my hands.
She nips into the boat and under the stern-sheets in a brace o' shakes.
He nips with his cold fingers the insects that do our plants harm.
British Dictionary definitions for nips Word Origin for Nip C20: short for Nipponese
verb nips , nipping or nipped (mainly tr) to catch or tightly compress, as between a finger and the thumb; pinch (often foll by off) to remove by clipping, biting, etc (when intr, often foll by at ) to give a small sharp bite (to) the dog nipped at his heels (esp of the cold) to affect with a stinging sensation to harm through cold the frost nipped the young plants to check or destroy the growth of (esp in the phrase nip in the bud ) slang to steal (intr; foll by along, up, out, etc ) British informal to hurry; dart slang , mainly US and Canadian to snatch Show More
the act of nipping; a pinch, snip, etc a frosty or chilly quality severe frost or cold the first nip of winter a small piece or quantity he went out for a nip of fresh air a sharp flavour or tang archaic a taunting remark nip and tuck mainly US and Canadian neck and neck informal plastic surgery performed for cosmetic reasons put the nips in Australian and NZ slang to exert pressure on someone, esp in order to extort money Show More
Word Origin for nip C14: of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Norse hnippa to prod
a small drink of spirits; dram mainly British a measure of spirits usually equal to one sixth of a gill Show More
verb nips , nipping or nipped to drink (spirits), esp habitually in small amounts Show More
Word Origin for nip C18: shortened from nipperkin a vessel holding a half-pint or less, of uncertain origin; compare Dutch nippen to sip
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
Word Origin and History for nips n.2 "a pinch; a sharp bite," 1540s, from nip (v.). Meaning "a chill in the weather" is from 1610s, probably so called for its effect on vegetation. Nip and tuck "a close thing" is recorded from 1832, perhaps from sailing or tailoring.
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v. "to pinch sharply; to bite suddenly," late 14c., related to Middle Low German nipen "to nip, to pinch," Middle Dutch nipen "to pinch," Dutch nijpen , Old Norse hnippa "to prod," but the exact evolution of the stem is obscure. Related: Nipped ; nipping . To nip (something) in the bud in the figurative sense is first recorded c.1600.
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n.1 "small measure of spirits," 1796, shortening of nipperkin (1670s) "quantity of liquor of a half pint or less," possibly of Dutch or Low German origin and related to nip (v.). Reinforced by nip (n.2) on notion of "fragment or bit pinched off" (c.1600).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
