1300–50; Middle English vis < Old French: screw < Latin vītis vine (whose spiral form gave later sense)
< French, past participle of viser to inspect, check; see visa
If you’re going to be doing a lot of woodworking, you’ll probably need a vise, a tool used to clamp pieces of wood in place while you work on them. The word vise came into English through the French word vis, meaning “screw.” Picture yourself winding a lever that screws the jaws of a vise shut, and you’ll understand what it’s like to operate a vise. Remember to spell the word with an s, as not to confuse it with sound-alike vice, which can refer to a destructive habit that you’d like to break. The two words are unrelated in meaning.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But the characters unfold before us in their exchanges, and the play makes room for the actors to inhabit the complexities and contradictions of lives caught in the vise of history.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2026
An examination of the tightening vise in which Jews in the Netherlands—whether German-Jewish refugees like the Franks or longtime residents—found themselves is hampered, again, by storytelling problems.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 25, 2025
But the same vise they’re in is being felt acutely by many governmental and nontech private concerns, like restaurants.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 5, 2024
It’s no cause for alarm, but it felt as if a vise were being twisted tighter and tighter around my chest.
From Slate ● Nov. 26, 2023
Forty weeks later, six trillion cells get crushed in the vise of our mothers birth canal and we howl.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
This, the United States Lines contended, often worked an injustice, because immigrants might book passage, sell their homes, and then discover that the consul would not visé their passports.
From Time Magazine Archive
Everybody was begging for a visé on one pretext or another, and most of them were being turned down.
From A Journal From Our Legation in Belgium by Gibson, Hugh
"It is gone to the bureau to be visé," and then followed a pathetic recital of the annoyances I had been subjected to.
From The Galaxy, June 1877 Vol. XXIII.—June, 1877.—No. 6. by Various
The British control officer told me that I really didn't need his visé, but that he would put it on anyway because it would make the passports look more imposing.
From The New Frontiers of Freedom from the Alps to the Ægean by Powell, E. Alexander (Edward Alexander)
His visé "Collat: & complet:" is seldom wanting and often bibliographical notes and references to authorities are added.
From Catalogue of the William Loring Andrews Collection of Early Books in the Library of Yale University by Van Name, Addison
Our passports have been handed in to the police station to be viséed and put in order for our return trip to Bucharest.
From Trapped in 'Black Russia' Letters June-November 1915 by Pierce, Ruth
As they could see for themselves our passports had been properly viséed by the Foreign Office in Peking, and we were prepared to stay.
From Across Mongolian Plains A Naturalist's Account of China's 'Great Northwest' by Andrews, Roy Chapman
He struck a smarter gait, but to me it seemed a year ere he reappeared with a pass viséed, and handed it to me.
From The Reckoning by Chambers, Robert W. (Robert William)
Yes, Robin had a passport, but it was not viséed for Holland.
From The Yellow Streak by Williams, Valentine
"It is not yet viséed by your consul," said the officer.
From The Goose Girl by MacGrath, Harold
On the present occasion, the Hamburger was detained a considerable time, whilst I exercised, at my leisure, my belligerent right of viséing his papers.
From Memoirs of Service Afloat, During the War Between the States by Semmes, Raphael
The French insisted on viséing our papers in order to show their authority and because they needed the ten francs.
From The New Frontiers of Freedom from the Alps to the Ægean by Powell, E. Alexander (Edward Alexander)
We have already recommended charging consuls with viséing certificates from police, medical, and poor-relief authorities.
From The Unpopular Review, Volume II Number 3 by Various
It is well built on narrow streets, like nearly all Italian cities, and manifests considerable activity in the way of watching gates and viséing Passports.
From Glances at Europe In a Series of Letters from Great Britain, France, Italy, Switzerland, &c. During the Summer of 1851. by Greeley, Horace
Much higher bills were seen at less frequently vised restaurants, like Chick-fil-A, Capriotti’s and Taco Bell, which cost the state about $25,100, $20,300 and $13,300, respectively.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 26, 2019
The current owner, Barbara Jenik, opened the door, an aggrieved Chihuahua vised into her armpit.
From New York Times ● Nov. 28, 2017
John McCoy, finding his right arm vised between the girder and the roof of his cab, let out a yell that brought firemen, a priest and a doctor.
From Time Magazine Archive
Methodism, vised by its geographical Bishop, promised to repay the money owed you.
From Time Magazine Archive
You seem almost a man these days, Jeth; even yore hair ain’t quite as yaller and curly as it vised to be.”
From "Across Five Aprils" by Irene Hunt
There is just time left to confirm that Anderson and Piper are both more regular customers at Pizza Express than Prince Andrew, who famously told Maitlis about vising the chain.
From BBC ● Mar. 18, 2024
Opposition politicians also are vising the region en masse, with the Republican People’s party leader Ozgur Ozel attending the commemorations in Hatay before travelling to Gaziantep and Kahramanmaras.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 5, 2024
Tile drains are then placed directly under the curb line and a 6×16-in. curb is constructed, vising 1-2-4 concrete faced with 1-2 mortar.
From Concrete Construction Methods and Costs by Gillette, Halbert Powers
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
