nip — OAT · Shobdo

nip

verb

1 the dog nipped her ankle:

bite, nibble, peck, pinch, tweak, squeeze, grip.

2 British, informal I'll just nip out and see what's going on:

go, rush, dash, dart, hurry, scurry, scamper;

drop by/in, stop by, visit;

informal tootle, pop, whip.

□ nip something in the bud

let's nip this unpleasantness in the bud before it goes any further:

curtail, cut short, strangle at birth, check, cut off, thwart, beat, frustrate, curb, stop, halt, arrest, stifle, obstruct, impede, block, squash, quash, subdue, quell, crack down on, stamp out;

informal squelch, put the kibosh on, clobber.

□ nip something off

carefully nip off older flowers on cyclamens and African violets:

cut off, snip (off), trim, clip, prune, hack off, chop off, saw off, lop (off), dock, crop, sever, separate, detach, remove, take off.

noun

rockhopper penguins have a strong beak that can deliver a serious nip:

bite, nibble, peck, pinch, tweak, squeeze, grip.