kiap

K5I1A1P3
Singapore[kjap̚˦]

noun

Tongs, clip; any claw-like tool used to grab objects or hold something in place.

OriginHokkien 夾 /夹 →
Scrabble 10
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Meanings

nounkiap (singular only)
  1. Singlishsingularsingular onlyplaceholderTongs, clip; any claw-like tool used to grab objects or hold something in place.
verbkiap (third-person singular simple present kiaps, present participle kiapping, simple past and past participle kiapped)

present singular third person kiaps · participle present kiapping · participle past kiapped · past kiapped

  1. SinglishTo clamp (as if with a clothes peg or tongs), to squeeze between.

    Her words conjure a determinedly striding auntie with a tote bag kiapped by her armpit, pushing the MRT doors open with sheer strength.

    2020 April 4, Yeo Boon Ping, “Red, White, and Black: The Lives of African Singaporeans and PRs”, in ricemedia.co

Origin

  1. Hokkien夾 /夹
  2. Englishkiap

Borrowed from Hokkien 夾 /夹 (kiap).

More words from Hokkien

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

pikapakipaik
Cite this entry
APA

kiap. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kiap

MLA

“kiap.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kiap. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “kiap,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kiap.

Source: kiap on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.