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nip1

Pronunciation: /nɪp/

Translate nip | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of nip

verb (nips, nipping, nipped)

  • 1 [with object] bite or pinch sharply:one of the dogs nipped him on the leg [no object]:his teeth nipped at her ear
  • (of the cold or frost) damage or hurt:the vegetable garden, nipped now by frost
  • (nip something off) remove something by pinching or squeezing sharply:he nipped off a length of wire with the cutters
  • 2 [no object, with adverbial of direction] British informal go quickly:I’m just nipping down to the Post Office
  • 3 [with object] US informal steal or snatch (something).

noun

  • a sharp bite or pinch: a strong beak which can deliver a serious nip
  • a feeling of biting cold:a keen nip in the air

Phrases

in the nip

Irish informal in the nude; naked: they were running round in the nip

nip something in the bud

suppress or destroy something at an early stage: the idea has been nipped in the bud by the local council

Origin:

late Middle English: probably of Low German or Dutch origin

nip in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of nip in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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