Meaning & use
pincer
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Meanings
nouncountablebiology
The pair of strong gripping claws at the end of the front legs of a crab, lobster or scorpion.
Grammar: Often found in the plural when talking about one animal: the crab raised its pincers.
Patterns
- the pincers of something
The crab snapped its pincer shut around the piece of seaweed.
A scorpion uses its pincers to hold its prey.
The lobster's left pincer is larger than the right.
nounusually plural
A hand tool made of two hinged arms that grip, hold or pull small objects such as nails.
Grammar: Normally pincers, with a plural verb: the pincers are on the shelf; a pair of pincers.
Patterns
- a pair of pincers
He pulled the bent nail out with a pair of pincers.
The jeweler held the tiny stone in a set of pincers.
Hand me the pincers, please.
nouncountablemilitary
An attack or force that closes in on an enemy from two sides at once.
Grammar: Often used in the phrase pincer movement.
Patterns
- a pincer movement
- a pincer attack
The general planned a pincer movement to trap the enemy in the valley.
The two armies closed in like the jaws of a pincer.
Word forms
| plural | pincers |
|---|
Common combinations
- pincer movement
- The army used a pincer movement to surround the town.
- pincer attack
- A pincer attack from north and south ended the siege.
- a pair of pincers
- The mechanic gripped the wire with a pair of pincers.
- crab's pincer
- A crab's pincer can give you a nasty pinch.
- pincer grip
- Babies learn the pincer grip between finger and thumb at about nine months.
Synonyms and how they differ
- claw
- Claw is the general word for a curved nail or limb, while a pincer specifically has two parts that close together.
- pliers
- Pliers are the usual word for the hand tool, whereas pincers often suggest ones with sharper, cutting jaws.
- nipper
- Nipper is a regional word for a crab or lobster claw, and it can also name a small cutting tool.
Word family
Commonly confused: pincer or pinch?
pincer vs pinch
A pinch is a small squeeze or a tiny amount, while a pincer is the claw or tool that performs the gripping.
Practice
The general ordered a ___ movement so that his troops could attack the enemy from both sides.
Choose one answer.
Pincer movement is the fixed phrase for closing in from two sides. Pliers is a tool, not used in this phrase.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pincer”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.