nip.
To catch and enclose or compress tightly between two surfaces, or points which are brought together or closed; to pinch; to close in upon.
Meaning & usage
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.
To squeeze or pinch.
To steal; especially to cut a purse.
To affect [one] painfully; to cause physical pain.'
Where this word comes from
From late Middle English nippen, probably of Low German or Dutch origin, probably a byform of earlier *knippen (suggested by the derivative Middle English knippette (“pincers”)), from Middle Low German knîpen, from Old Saxon *knīpan, from Proto-West Germanic *knīpan, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *knīpaną (“to pinch”). Related to Dutch nijpen, knijpen (“to pinch”), Danish nive (“pinch”); Swedish nypa (“pinch”); Low German knipen; German kneipen and kneifen (“to pinch, cut off, nip”), Old Norse hnippa (“to prod, poke”); Lithuanian knebti.
A playful bite.
The puppy gave his owner’s finger a nip.
A pinch with the nails or teeth.
Briskly cold weather.
There is a nip in the air. It is nippy outside.
A seizing or closing in upon; a pinching
the nip of masses of ice
A small cut, or a cutting off the end.
A more or less gradual thinning out of a stratum.
A blast; a killing of the ends of plants by frost.
A biting sarcasm; a taunt.
A short turn in a rope.
The place of intersection where one roll touches another
A pickpocket.
Where this word comes from
From late Middle English nippen, probably of Low German or Dutch origin, probably a byform of earlier *knippen (suggested by the derivative Middle English knippette (“pincers”)), from Middle Low German knîpen, from Old Saxon *knīpan, from Proto-West Germanic *knīpan, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *knīpaną (“to pinch”). Related to Dutch nijpen, knijpen (“to pinch”), Danish nive (“pinch”); Swedish nypa (“pinch”); Low German knipen; German kneipen and kneifen (“to pinch, cut off, nip”), Old Norse hnippa (“to prod, poke”); Lithuanian knebti.
A small amount of food or drink, (particularly) a small amount of liquor.
I’ll just take a nip of that cake.
He had a nip of whiskey.
Where this word comes from
Short for nipperkin, ultimately from Middle Low German nippen or Middle Dutch nipen ("to sip; nip"; > Dutch nippen). Compare also German nippen (“to sip; taste”).
A nipple, usually of a woman.
Did you manage to sneak a peek at her nips, bro?
Where this word comes from
Clipping of nipple.
To have erect nipples.
Where this word comes from
Clipping of nipple.
To make a quick, short journey or errand, usually a round trip.
Why don’t you nip down to the grocer’s for some milk?
A hamburger.
Where this word comes from
Canada 1931.
Alternative spelling of Nip; a Japanese person.
Where this word comes from
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.