nip
/nip/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun:
- A small, sharp bite or pinch: A quick, biting action, often with the teeth or fingers.
- A small amount of alcoholic drink: A small, quick drink, especially of strong liquor.
- A sharp, stinging quality: A sensation of coldness or a sharp, pungent flavor.
- (Offensive Slang): An offensive term for a person of Japanese descent.
Verb:
- To bite or pinch sharply and quickly: To give a small, sharp bite or to pinch.
- To sever or remove by pinching: To cut or break something off by pinching.
- To move quickly: To go somewhere rapidly or briefly.
- To affect with cold: To cause a stinging sensation due to cold.
Examples of Usage
Noun:
- The puppy gave my finger a playful nip.
- He took a quick nip of brandy to warm up.
- There's a nip in the air this morning.
Verb:
- Be careful, that dog might nip you.
- She nipped the dead leaves off the plant.
- I'll just nip out to the store for some milk.
Advanced Usage
"nip something in the bud": To stop something at an early stage before it can develop into a larger problem.
- We need to nip this bad habit in the bud before it gets worse.
"nip and tuck": Very close, as in a race or competition; also refers to cosmetic surgery.
- The election was nip and tuck until the final votes were counted.
Variants and Related Words
Nippy (adj): Chilly, cold; or quick and agile.
- It's a bit nippy outside today.
- She's a nippy little runner.
Nip-off (n, informal): A theft or something stolen.
- That was a clever nip-off.
Synonyms
- Bite: To cut or grip with teeth.
- Pinch: To squeeze tightly between fingers.
- Sip: To drink a small amount.
- Dart: To move suddenly and quickly.
Related Phrasal Verbs
Nip along: To go somewhere quickly.
- You'd better nip along or you'll be late.
Nip in: To enter quickly or briefly; to interrupt.
- He nipped in just before the door closed.
- She nipped in with a comment before I could finish.
Nip out: To leave quickly for a short time.
- I'm just going to nip out for a coffee.
Nip off: To leave quickly; to remove by pinching.
- He nipped off before the meeting ended.
- She nipped off the wilted flower heads.
Nip up: To rise or get up quickly.
- He nipped up from his chair to answer the door.
Related Idioms
- Nip at someone's heels: To follow closely behind, often in a competitive or threatening way.
- The younger players are nipping at his heels for the starting position.
Noun
- a small sharp bite or snip
- a tart spicy quality
- the property of being moderately cold
- the chilliness of early morning
- the taste experience when a savoury condiment is taken into the mouth
- (offensive slang) offensive term for a person of Japanese descent
- a small drink of liquor
- he poured a shot of whiskey
Verb
- sever or remove by pinching or snipping
- nip off the flowers
- give a small sharp bite to
- The Queen's corgis always nip at her staff's ankles
- squeeze tightly between the fingers
- He pinched her behind
- She squeezed the bottle