nip at

verb

To bite or pinch with small actions.

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Meanings

verbnip at (third-person singular simple present nips at, present participle nipping at, simple past and past participle nipped at)

present singular third person nips at · participle present nipping at · participle past nipped at · past nipped at

  1. To bite or pinch with small actions.
  2. To be cold; to be bitingly cold.
  3. idiomaticTo sip a drink (usually alcoholic) in small amounts.
Cite this entry
APA

nip at. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nip%20at

MLA

“nip at.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nip%20at. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nip at,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nip%20at.

Source: nip at on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.