Pincers

//ˈpɪnsəɹz// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    plural of pincer form-of, plural
  2. 2
    A gripping tool, pivoted like a pair of scissors, but with blunt jaws. plural, plural-only

    "Milk formed their chief diet, and this they were supposed to imbibe from the witch herself, from a third "teat" which had been made beneath the arm by a nip from the Devil's pincers."

  3. 3
    The front claws of crustaceans such as lobsters. plural, plural-only

Example

More examples

"Off the shores of Newfoundland, Canada, an ecosystem is unraveling at the hands (or pincers) of an invasive crab."

Etymology

From Middle English pynsours, from Old French pinceure, pinchure, from pincier (“to pinch”).

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.