nip

verb

/nɪp/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they nip	/nɪp/ /nɪp/
he / she / it nips	/nɪps/ /nɪps/
past simple nipped	/nɪpt/ /nɪpt/
past participle nipped	/nɪpt/ /nɪpt/
-ing form nipping	/ˈnɪpɪŋ/ /ˈnɪpɪŋ/

Idioms Phrasal Verbs

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[transitive, intransitive] to give somebody/something a quick painful bite or pressing their skin together hard with your finger and thumb
- nip something He winced as the dog nipped his ankle.
- nip at something She nipped at my arm.
- The rats nipped at her flesh.
[intransitive, transitive] (of cold, wind, etc.) to harm or damage something
- nip at something The icy wind nipped at our faces.
- nip something The new leaves had been nipped by a late frost.
[intransitive] + adv./prep. (British English, informal) to go somewhere quickly and/or for only a short time synonym pop
- He's just nipped out to the bank.
- A car nipped in (= got in quickly) ahead of me.
Extra Examples
- nipping to the shops
- The boy nipped down the alley out of sight.
- She's just nipped out for a few minutes.
- I'm just nipping down to the shops for some bread.
- I'll just nip into the post office.
- I nipped round the corner.
- He nipped in through a side door.

Word Originverb late Middle English: probably of Low German or Dutch origin.

Idioms

nip something in the bud

to stop something when it has just begun because you can see that problems will come from it

nip

noun

/nɪp/

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the act of giving somebody a small bite or pressing their skin together hard with your finger and thumb
- The dog gave her a painful nip on the leg.
(informal) a feeling of cold
- There was a real nip in the air.
see also nippy
(informal) a small drink of strong alcohol

Word Originnoun senses 1 to 2 late Middle English: probably of Low German or Dutch origin. noun sense 3 late 18th cent. (originally denoting a half-pint of ale): probably an abbreviation of the rare term nipperkin ‘small measure’; compare with Low German and Dutch nippen ‘to sip’.