Meanings
tongs1
- pluralplural onlyAn instrument or tool used for picking things up without touching them with the hands or fingers, consisting of two slats or grips hinged at the end or in the middle, and sometimes including a spring to open the grips.
There was also hairdressing: hairdressing, too, really was hairdressing in those times — no running a comb through it and that was that. It was curled, frizzed, waved, put in curlers overnight, waved with hot tongs;[…].
1977, Agatha Christie, chapter 4, in An Autobiography, part II, London: Collins, →ISBN - broadlypluralplural onlyA large scissors-like two-piece center-hinged forged-iron implement with oval-loop handles and with pointed tips turned inward (in the same plane as and perpendicular to the handles) to facilitate lifting and carrying a block of ice. Often called ice tongs.
tongs2
- pluralplural of tong (“instrument”)
tongs3
- indicativepresentsingularthird personthird-person singular simple present indicative of tong
tongs4
- pluralplural of tong (“Chinese secret society”)
Tongs5
- pluralplural of Tong
Synonyms & antonyms
nounany of various devices for taking hold of objects; usually have two hinged legs with handles above and pointed hooks below
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishtonges
- Englishtongs
From Middle English tonges, equivalent to tong (“tool for manipulating things in a fire”) + -s.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek λαβίς
- λαβίς (labís)instrument
Arabic كَلْبَتَان
- كَلْبَتَان (kalbatān)instrument
Bulgarian щипци
- щипци (štipci)instrument
Chinese Mandarin 鉗子 /钳子
- 鉗子 /钳子 (qiánzi)instrument
Czech kleště
- kleštěinstrument
Danish tang
- tanginstrument
Dari پلاس
- پلاس (palâs)instrument
Dutch tang
- tanginstrument
Finnish pihdit
- pihditinstrument
French pinces
- pincesinstrument
German Greifer, Zange
- Greiferinstrument
- Zangeinstrument
- Greifzangeinstrument
- Grillzangeinstrument
- Küchenzangeinstrument
- Nudelzangeinstrument
- Salatzangeinstrument
- Servierzangeinstrument
- Zuckerzangeinstrument
Greek λαβίδες
- λαβίδες (lavídes)instrument
Hebrew מלקחת
- מלקחת (melkakhat)instrument
Hindi चिमटा
- चिमटा (cimṭā)instrument
Icelandic töng
- tönginstrument
Iranian Persian کلبتین
- کلبتین (kalbateyn)instrument
Irish tlú, teanchair
- tlúinstrument
- teanchairinstrument
Italian tenaglie, pinzetta
- tenaglieinstrument
- pinzettainstrument
Japanese -挟み, -箸
- -挟み (-basami)instrument
- -箸 (-bashi)instrument
- e.g.instrument
- パンばさみ (panbasami)instrument
- 火箸 (hibashi)instrument
- トング (tongu)instrument
Korean 집게
- 집게 (jipge)instrument
Latin forceps
- forcepsinstrument
Lithuanian žnyplės
- žnyplėsinstrument
Māori kape, pīnohi
- kapeinstrument
- pīnohiinstrument
Polish szczypce
- szczypceinstrument
Portuguese tenaz, pinça
- tenazinstrument
- pinçainstrument
- pegadorinstrument
Romanian clește
- cleșteinstrument
Russian схва́ты, щипцы́
- схва́ты (sxváty)instrument
- щипцы́ (ščipcý)instrument
Slovak kliešte
- kliešteinstrument
Spanish pinzas, tenacillas
- pinzasinstrument
- tenacillasinstrument
- tenazuelasinstrument
Swahili koleo, makoleo
- koleoinstrument
- makoleoinstrument
Swedish tång, griptång
- tånginstrument
- griptånginstrument
Tamil இடுக்கி
- இடுக்கி (iṭukki)instrument
Thai คีม, แหนบ
- คีม (kiim)instrument
- แหนบ (nɛ̀ɛp)instrument
Turkish maşa, kıskaç
- maşainstrument
- kıskaçinstrument
- kısaçinstrument
Vietnamese cái gắp đá
- cái gắp đáinstrument
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
tongs. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tongs
“tongs.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tongs. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tongs,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tongs.
Source: tongs on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.