tong

¹

[tawng, tong]

noun

1. tongs.

verb (used with object)

1. to lift, seize, gather, hold, or handle with tongs, as logs or oysters.

verb (used without object)

1. to use, or work with, tongs.

tong

²

[tawng, tong]

noun

1. (in China) an association, society, or political party.

2. (among Chinese living in the U.S.) a fraternal or secret society, often associated with criminal activities.

tong

¹

/ tɒŋ /

verb

1. to gather or seize with tongs

2. to curl or style (hair) with curling tongs

tong

²

/ tɒŋ /

noun

1. (formerly) a Chinese secret society or association, esp one popularly assumed to engage in criminal activities

Other Word Forms

• tonger noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of tong¹

before 900; 1865–70, tong ¹ for def. 2; Middle English tong ( e ) (singular), tongen, tonges (plural), Old English; cognate with Dutch tang, German Zange pair of tongs or pincers; akin to Greek dáknein to bite

Origin of tong²

1880–85, < dialectal Chinese (Guangdong) tòhng, akin to Chinese táng meeting hall

Word History and Origins

Origin of tong¹

C20: from Chinese (Cantonese) t'ong meeting place

Idioms and Phrases

see hammer and tongs.

Example Sentences

"The unexpected finding is that sticking to a short eating window less than eight hours over years was linked to increased death risk from cardiovascular disease," says Prof Zhong, an epidemiologist at Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine in China.

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Tong will join a team that finds itself in the middle of a playoff race.

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Tong struck out 162 batters and led the league with a 1.59 ERA when he was promoted to triple-A Syracuse in earlier this month.

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The New York Mets are calling up pitcher Jonah Tong, their No. 4 prospect and No. 44 overall, who leads the minor leagues in strikeouts and earned-run average.

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Tong will make a start with the big league team after pitching 11.2 innings in Syracuse without giving up a run while striking out 17.

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