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Showing results for nipping. Search instead for Dipping.
Synonyms

nipping

American  
[nip-ing] / ˈnɪp ɪŋ /

adjective

  1. sharp or biting, as cold.

  2. sarcastic; caustic.

nipping British  
/ ˈnɪpɪŋ /

adjective

  1. sharp and biting

    a nipping wind

  2. sarcastic; bitter

"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

Other Word Forms

  • nippingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of nipping

First recorded in 1540–50; nip 1 + -ing 2

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.

"Probably on reflection I could have used swing more to set up the wobble seam, which might have just gone straight on rather than nipping," Potts says.

From BBC

Without competition nipping at its heels, Bell Labs engineers had the luxury of working out difficult ideas over decades.

From The Wall Street Journal

Rowdy was right after him, nipping at his tail feathers and having the time of his life.

From Literature

In 1986, broadcasters began scrambling their signals in hopes of nipping their losses in the BUDs.

From The Wall Street Journal

"I'm open to evolution and some nipping and tucking, but without being ultimately able to steer the ship maybe there is someone better," he said.

From BBC

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.