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pincer movement

British  
/ ˈpɪnsə /

noun

  1. Also called: envelopment.  a military tactical movement in which two columns of an army follow a curved route towards each other with the aim of isolating and surrounding an enemy

"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

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Under the tutelage of Jason Taylor—a Hall-of-Fame QB hunter in the NFL—Bain and Mesidor form a pincer movement to attack passers from each edge of the defensive line.

From The Wall Street Journal Jan. 7, 2026

In recent months, they had been slowly advancing through relentless assaults, in a pincer movement.

From New York Times Feb. 17, 2024

It is a pincer movement of science and philosophy that will, ultimately, crack the mystery of consciousness.

From Scientific American Nov. 7, 2023

Fellow Brit Tao Geoghan Hart is third, just five seconds behind Thomas, opening the possibility of taking on pre-race favourite Primoz Roglic with a pincer movement.

From BBC May 15, 2023

New Los Angeles, its back protected by the Salton Sea, was, like the original one, subjected to a pincer movement which strangled the promising life from it before it was two years old.

From Greener Than You Think by Moore, Ward

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