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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 grabbed them by the scruff of the neck and gave them a good shake, until they started to yap and nip each other playfully, just as puppies would.

From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood

“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

People like Nip are never just what they do for a living.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 1, 2019

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

From Washington Post ● Jan. 7, 2018

In the 1980s, the District Department of Transportation came up with a more efficient method—Sprout Nip, an herbicide that, when applied to female ginkgoes in the spring, halts fruit development.

From Slate ● Oct. 10, 2016

Nip at their heels a little and they'll go wherever you tell them to.

From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland

Robinson, from round the wicket, angled the ball in, then nipped it away off the surface and up the Lord's slope.

From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2026

“Like many people in this room can understand, we nipped the SAG and now it’s just the Actor Awards.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 1, 2026

So the money bouquet culture is unlikely to be nipped in the bud any time soon.

From BBC ● Feb. 13, 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

I leaned against a gate, and looked into an empty field where no sheep were feeding, where the short grass was nipped and blanched.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

But head teacher Claire Judd said they went a step further - cooling their feet in water baths and "nipping in and out" of a World War Two German bunker.

From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026

More recently, the explosion in popularity for resale clothing and the growing use of GLP-1 drugs for weight loss have created more need for nipping and tucking what is in peoples’ closets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 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

“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 keep me moving, a charm to ward off the fear nipping at my mind.

From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir

Related Words

• nibble
• snap