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tweezers

American  
[twee-zerz] / ˈtwi zərz /
tweezer

noun

(used with a singular or plural verb)
  1. small pincers or nippers for plucking out hairs, extracting splinters, picking up small objects, etc.


tweezers British  
/ ˈtwiːzəz /

plural noun

  1. Also called: pair of tweezers.   tweezer.  a small pincer-like instrument for handling small objects, plucking out hairs, etc

"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 tweezers

First recorded in 1645–55; plural of tweezer, equivalent to obsolete tweeze “case of surgical instruments” (aphetic form of earlier etweese, from French étuis, plural of étui, noun derivative of Old French étuier “to keep,” from Latin stūdiāre “to care for”) + -er 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.

See Examples For:

She uses tweezers to nestle the roasted halves on a swirl of verdant puree, then tops it off with crispy fried leaves.

From Salon Jun. 28, 2026

There are many to choose from, though the collaborations available at Walmart, Target, Old Navy and Amazon skew more moviegoer than movie star, including special-edition “Devil Wears Prada 2” tweezers from Tweezerman.

From The Wall Street Journal Apr. 19, 2026

If a tick has burrowed into your skin - it must be removed as soon as possible using a tick tool or tweezers.

From BBC Jun. 15, 2025

It has tweezers, whatever backgrounds I’m working with and cutting tools that are usually ballpoint pens that have run out of ink.

From Los Angeles Times Mar. 28, 2025

Then running around the house looking for tweezers to pluck it out.

From "Harbor Me" by Jacqueline Woodson

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