nip
/nɪp/ verb C1- To catch and enclose or compress tightly between two surfaces, or points which are brought together or closed; to pinch; to close in upon.
- To remove by pinching, biting, or cutting with two meeting edges of anything; to clip.
- To benumb [e.g., cheeks, fingers, nose] by severe cold.
- To blast, as by frost; to check the growth or vigor of; to destroy.
- To annoy, as by nipping.
- To taunt.
He/she/it nips · Past nipped · Past participle nipped · -ing form nipping
Verb forms
- Base form
- nip
- He/she/it
- nips
- Past
- nipped
- Past participle
- nipped
- -ing form
- nipping
From the library
Instead of that, he had intended, before his plans were nipped, to send me the clue in this envelope.
“Well, maybe a wee nip would keep out the raw morning chill.
I can’t help imagining that perhaps, just as we get to the middle, they’ll crumple up like a jack-knife and nip us.
Then I nipped through and ran down the garden path in the direction that I thought he might have taken.
Other matches
Learn nip in real texts
With a free account, hover any word in the library for its meaning, hear it read aloud, save words for review timed to your memory, and see how much of each book you already know.