pincers

American  

[pin-serz] / ˈpɪn sərz /

Also pinchers

noun

(usually used with a plural verb)

1. a gripping tool consisting of two pivoted limbs forming a pair of jaws and a pair of handles (usually used withpair of ).

2. Zoology. a grasping organ or pair of organs resembling this, as the claw of a lobster.

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pincers British  

/ ˈpɪnsəz /

plural noun

1. Also called: pair of pincers. a gripping tool consisting of two hinged arms with handles at one end and, at the other, curved bevelled jaws that close on the workpiece: used esp for extracting nails

2. the pair or pairs of jointed grasping appendages in lobsters and certain other arthropods

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pincers Scientific  

/ pĭn′sərz /

1. A jointed grasping claw of certain animals, such as lobsters and scorpions.

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Etymology

Origin of pincers

1300–50; Middle English pinsers, earlier pynceours, plural of *pinceour < Anglo-French pince ( r ) to pinch + -our -or ²

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pincers

Its front legs ended in large claw-like structures that resemble the pincers of crabs.

From Science Daily ● May 25, 2026

Agility’s Digit robot, with its rectangular eyes and pincers for hands, looks a little more like science fiction and a little less like a human replacement.

From Barron's ● Feb. 6, 2026

No claws, or pincers, but four fingers and a thumb opening and closing slowly, with joints in all the right places.

From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2025

Some will have three arms, some with five fingers and others with pincers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2025

Harry thought he heard the tinkle of bottles as Slughorn bent over the pincers, apparently examining the enormous hairy head.

From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling