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

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

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 2, 2023

Conservative MP Steve Brine said hearing about someone in "such pain and distress" that they used pliers to pull out their teeth "demonstrates the crisis in NHS dental services".

From BBC • Jul. 13, 2023

Keep a box with these essential basics: a tape measure, claw hammer, utility knife, level, crescent wrenches, hex keys, a handsaw, pliers, multiple screwdrivers and a collection of screws and nails.

From Seattle Times • May 29, 2023

He crimped the wire with his pliers and ripped off a sleeve of insulation, revealing the shining copper core.

From "Ship Breaker" by Paolo Bacigalupi

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