Synonyms

pliers

British

/ ˈplaɪəz /

plural noun

a gripping tool consisting of two hinged arms with usually serrated jaws that close on the workpiece

"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

Etymology

Origin of pliers

C16: from _ply ¹

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.

“Are they scrappy? Yes. Are they all working in bombed-out buildings with pliers found on the side of the road? No,” said Justin Zeefe, a founding partner at Los Angeles- and Kyiv-based Green Flag Ventures.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 1, 2025

Some of those remaining had deep gouging and scratches, which looked like marks left by pliers.

From BBC • May 27, 2024

Using pliers, a hot soldering iron, scissors and other tools, Terrell Glenn and Cierra Milton taught participants how to assemble and connect a large button to a battery-operated toy.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 22, 2023

Border Patrol agents used pliers to cut open a passage through the thickets of barbed wire.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 2, 2023

He took a piece of flint from his pocket and got the pair of pliers and struck the flint against the serrated jaw.

From "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023