v., nipped, nip·ping, nips. v.tr.
- To seize and pinch or bite: The fish nipped the wader's toe.
- To remove or sever by pinching or snipping: nipped off the plant leaf.
- To bite or sting with the cold; chill.
- To check or cut off the growth or development of: a conspiracy that was nipped in the bud by the police. See synonyms at blast.
- Slang.
- To snatch up hastily.
- To take (the property of another) unlawfully; steal.
To move quickly; dart.
n.
- The act or an instance of seizing or pinching.
- A pinch or snip that cuts off or removes a small part: He gave a small nip to each corner of the cloth.
- The small bit or portion so removed: There were nips of construction paper all over the child's table.
- A sharp, stinging quality, as of frosty air.
- Severely sharp cold or frost.
- A cutting remark.
- A sharp, biting flavor; a tang: the nip of Mexican salsa.
[Middle English nippen, perhaps from Middle Dutch nipen.]
nip2 (nĭp) Informal.
n.
A small amount of liquor.
v., nipped, nip·ping, nips. v.tr.
To sip (alcoholic liquor) in small amounts: had been nipping brandy.
v.intr.
To take a sip or sips of alcoholic liquor: nips all day long.
[Probably short for nipperkin, of Dutch or Low German origin.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
