From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishnipnip1 /nɪp/ verb (nipped, nipping) 1 [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] British English informalGO to go somewhere quickly or for a short time SYN pop Have we time to nip down the pub for a quick drink? Another car nipped in (=moved quickly into a space) in front of me. I’ve got to nip home and change my clothes.2 [intransitive, transitive]BITE to bite someone or something lightly She gently nipped the lobe of his ear.nip at The fish swam all around her and nipped at her legs.3 → nip something in the bud4 [transitive] British EnglishPRESS to suddenly and quickly press something tightly between two fingers, edges, or surfaces → pinch Sally nipped her cheeks to make them look less pale. He nipped his finger in the door.5 [intransitive, transitive] writtenHURT if cold weather or the wind nips at part of your body or at a plant, it hurts or damages itnip at The frost nipped at our fingers. → nip something ↔ off→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
nip• Note the fare rate number printed on the part to be nipped.• A school of fish swam around her feet, some nipping at her ankles.• It is a reflex born of predation by voracious crabs that nip at the tender tubeworm plumes with their claws.• In this case a budding urethral neurosis was nipped before it could really blossom.• She used those wolves for all they were worth, as though imaginary wolves still nipped her heels in the Clifton Mall.• The objective is to prevent, or at least nip in the bud, unwanted feelings.• When I took the hamster out of his cage, he nipped me.• Guideline 18: Try to nip misbehaviour in the bud.• I was surprised how weak and light-headed I felt on nipping out of my hospital bed to recover a dropped book.• I could nip round the corner and bring some back for us both.• Keep the plants covered to keep frost from nipping them.nip at• This stupid dog keeps nipping at my ankles.nipnip2 noun [countable] 1 PRESSthe act or result of biting something lightly or pressing something between two fingers, edges, or surfaces His dog gave me a painful nip on the leg.2 DFDDRINKa small amount of strong alcoholic drinknip of a nip of brandy3 → a nip in the air4 → nip and tuckExamples from the Corpus
nip• He thought she might be on the point of offering him a nip of whisky but she did not go that far.• A nip here, a tuck there, and it was seven years ago.• He took to having a daily early-morning nip from a half-bottle of whisky in his hip pocket.• The dog gave me a playful nip.• He called his technique nips for blips, blips being the little green numbers that represent bond prices on the screens.• The nip on my cheeks of it confirms life.• It was nip and tuck up to 7-7 before Best opened up a 12-9 lead.• Already, the darkness was closing in, and there was a real winter nip in the air.• He was shortly drinking hard, following bourbon two-fers with nip bottles of Lucky Lager.Origin nip1 (1300-1400) Middle Low German nipen nip2 1. (1500-1600) → NIP12. (1900-2000) Nipponese “Japanese” ((19-21 centuries)), from Japanese Nippon “Japan”3. (1700-1800) Probably from nipperkin “small container for alcoholic drink” ((17-19 centuries)), probably from Dutch or Low German 