tongs

[ tawngz, tongz ]

/ tɔŋz, tɒŋz /

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noun (usually used with a plural verb)

any of various implements consisting of two arms hinged, pivoted, or otherwise fastened together, for seizing, holding, or lifting something (usually used with pair of).

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of tongs

see origin at tong¹

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH tongs

thongs, tongs , tongues

Words nearby tongs

Tongan, Tongass National Forest, Tonga Trench, Tonghua, tongman, tongs, tongue, tongue-and-groove joint, tongue cover, tongued, tongue depressor

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use tongs in a sentence

Cook until the underside is a deep golden brown, then flip the grispelle with tongs and brown the other side.
Italy's Best Dessert Secret|Rosetta Costantino|December 9, 2010|DAILY BEAST
And one of the seraphims flew to me, and in his hand was a live coal, which he had taken with the tongs off the altar.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
The children played and carried hot stones with tongs made of sticks.
The Later Cave-Men|Katharine Elizabeth Dopp
Use the butter-knife, salt-spoon, and sugar-tongs as scrupulously when alone, as if a room full of people were watching you.
The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness|Florence Hartley

I could not stop to retrieve the question papers with a pair of tongs—as I might, had I not been hurried.
Ruth Fielding At College|Alice B. Emerson
I took the rabbit with a pair of tongs; the others had handled their baits and pug crept round 'em and nosed the trick.
It Is Never Too Late to Mend|Charles Reade

British Dictionary definitions for tongs

tongs

/ (tɒŋz) /

pl n

a tool for grasping or lifting, consisting of a hinged, sprung, or pivoted pair of arms or levers, joined at one endAlso called: pair of tongs

Word Origin for tongs

plural of Old English tange; related to Old Saxon tanga, Old High German zanga, Old Norse tong

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

tongs

Origin of tongs

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH tongs

Words nearby tongs

Words related to tongs

How to use tongs in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tongs

Word Origin for tongs