tong

¹ American  

[tawng, tong] / tɔŋ, tɒŋ /

noun

1. tongs.

---

verb (used with object)

1. to lift, seize, gather, hold, or handle with tongs, as logs or oysters.

verb (used without object)

1. to use, or work with, tongs.

tong ² American  

[tawng, tong] / tɔŋ, tɒŋ /

noun

1. (in China) an association, society, or political party.

2. (among Chinese living in the U.S.) a fraternal or secret society, often associated with criminal activities.

---

tong ¹ British  

/ tɒŋ /

verb

1. to gather or seize with tongs

2. to curl or style (hair) with curling tongs

---

tong ² British  

/ tɒŋ /

noun

1. (formerly) a Chinese secret society or association, esp one popularly assumed to engage in criminal activities

---

tong Idioms  

1. see hammer and tongs.

---

Other Word Forms

• tonger noun

Etymology

Origin of tong¹

before 900; 1865–70, tong ¹ for def. 2; Middle English tong ( e ) (singular), tongen, tonges (plural), Old English; cognate with Dutch tang, German Zange pair of tongs or pincers; akin to Greek dáknein to bite

Origin of tong²

1880–85, < dialectal Chinese (Guangdong) tòhng, akin to Chinese táng meeting hall

Example Sentences

Among the land creatures, there were ishongo, humans and other animals, and tong, plants and trees.

From Scientific American • Jun. 14, 2023

His business is quite a bit different from that of traditional watermen, who tong the bottom of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries for wild oysters.

From Washington Post • Dec. 21, 2020

Shi bing tong — a fried snack of pork, squid, tofu, noodles and vegetables wrapped in pastry — is from Taizhou, a city on the East China Sea, northeast of Hong Kong.

From New York Times • Oct. 15, 2019

"We go at each other hammer and tong, but he's my friend."

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2018

She’d called him a fan tong, just what his father used to say.

From "Typical American" by Gish Jen