nipped

nipped — 動詞

1. to squeeze a small bit of skin, cloth, or other material firmly between two hard

1.動詞及物B2
釋義

捏；夾

用兩個硬物把皮膚或東西夾緊

to squeeze a small bit of skin, cloth, or other material firmly between two hard objects like fingers, teeth, or a tool, often quickly and causing a short sharp feeling

例句

Rania nipped her son's cheek gently with her thumb and finger.

Rania 用拇指和食指輕輕捏了兒子的臉頰。

nip + object + body part: physical pinch with two surfaces

The metal clip nipped Tunde's thumb when the hinge snapped shut.

金屬夾子合上時夾到了 Tunde 的拇指。

inanimate subject: object/tool doing the pinching

同義詞
  • pinch

    very close in meaning; 'pinch' is more general and everyday, 'nip' suggests it was quicker and sharper

  • tweak

    lighter and often playful; less painful than 'nip'

文法句型

nip + object

nip + object + body part

用法筆記

Subject is usually a person, an animal with small jaws or claws, or a tool with two surfaces meeting. The action is brief and sharp, never a long squeeze.

常見錯誤

❌Andrei nipped the heavy door closed.
✅Andrei pushed the heavy door closed.
💡'nip' needs two surfaces meeting on a small thing, not a wide push.

2. to sew a piece of clothing so that it fits more closely around part of the body,

2.動詞及物C1
釋義

改窄；修身

把衣服縫得更貼身

to sew a piece of clothing so that it fits more closely around part of the body, especially the waist, usually by taking small folds out of the fabric

例句

Antonia asked the tailor to nip the dress in around the waist.

Antonia 請裁縫師把洋裝的腰身改窄一點。

nip + object + in: standard tailoring pattern

Liam had his wedding jacket nipped in across the back.

Liam 把婚禮西裝的後背改窄修身。

passive: have + object + nipped in + body region

同義詞
  • take in

    the standard everyday phrasal verb tailors use; 'nip in' is slightly less common

  • tailor

    broader — covers any custom fitting, not only making tighter

反義詞
  • let out

    the direct opposite — sew so the garment becomes looser

文法句型

nip in + object

have something nipped in

用法筆記

Usually followed by 'in' plus a body region (waist, back, sleeves). Subject is almost always a person doing sewing work, or the wearer asking for the change.

常見錯誤

❌Tara nipped the dress to make it bigger.
✅Tara let the dress out to make it bigger.
💡'nip in' only makes clothing tighter, never looser.

3. to remove a small part of a plant, flower, or other thing by squeezing it sharpl

3.動詞及物B2
釋義

摘除；剪掉

用手指或剪刀掐掉小東西

to remove a small part of a plant, flower, or other thing by squeezing it sharply with your fingernails, with scissors, or with a pair of small pliers

例句

Hyun nipped off the dead rose buds before watering the garden.

Hyun 在澆花之前把枯掉的玫瑰花苞摘掉。

nip off + plant part: standard gardening pattern

Kian nipped a tiny piece of dough from the loaf to taste it.

Kian 從麵包上掐了一小塊麵團來嚐味道。

同義詞
  • snip

    very close — usually with scissors; 'nip off' can use fingernails too

  • pinch off

    almost identical; slightly more common in American gardening writing

文法句型

nip off + object

nip + object + off

用法筆記

The object removed is always small and soft enough to come off with a quick pinch — buds, threads, dough, tags. Not used for cutting hard or large things.

常見錯誤

❌Anong nipped the tree branch off with an axe.
✅Anong cut the tree branch off with an axe.
💡'nip off' is for small soft pieces, not heavy cutting.

4. to stop a problem, plan, or trend from growing into something worse while it is

4.動詞及物C1
釋義

及早制止

在問題擴大前迅速阻止

to stop a problem, plan, or trend from growing into something worse while it is still small, usually by acting quickly and firmly at the very start

例句

Emma nipped the office gossip in the bud by speaking to everyone directly.

Emma 直接和大家談過，把辦公室的閒言閒語及早制止。

nip + object + in the bud: the fixed idiom carrying this sense

Nikos nipped his daughter's late-night phone habit in the bud.

Nikos 及早制止了女兒夜裡玩手機的習慣。

同義詞
  • stamp out

    stronger and more forceful; suggests removing something already established, not just starting

  • head off

    prevent something before it happens; less about stopping growth, more about avoiding contact

反義詞
  • encourage

    let something grow rather than stopping it early

文法句型

nip + something + in the bud

用法筆記

Almost always appears in the fixed phrase 'nip [something] in the bud'. The object is usually a problem, habit, rumour, or trend — never a person.

常見錯誤

❌Luca nipped the protest.
✅Luca nipped the protest in the bud.
💡without 'in the bud' this sense is unclear; readers will guess the wrong meaning.

5. of frost, wind, or freezing air, to damage a plant or living tissue, or to make

5.動詞及物C2
釋義

凍傷；凍麻

霜或冷風讓植物或皮膚受損

of frost, wind, or freezing air, to damage a plant or living tissue, or to make a part of someone's body feel painfully cold and slightly numb

例句

Frost nipped the young tomato seedlings overnight in Nadia's garden.

Nadia 花園裡的小番茄苗夜裡被霜凍傷了。

frost/cold as subject: classic agricultural use

The cold wind nipped Constanza's ears as she waited for the bus.

Constanza 在等公車時，冷風把她的耳朵吹得又冷又麻。

cold + body part: ears/nose/fingers commonly affected

同義詞
  • sting

    for body parts only; the painful tingling feeling, but no real damage

  • blight

    for plants; more severe and longer-lasting damage than 'nip'

文法句型

nip + plant/body part

be nipped by the frost/cold

用法筆記

Subject must be cold weather or frost, not a person. Object is either a plant (causes damage) or a body part (causes sharp cold pain). Often used in the passive.

常見錯誤

❌Lotte nipped the flowers with frost.
✅Frost nipped Lotte's flowers.
💡the cold is the subject, never a person using cold as a tool.

6. of an animal, to give a quick light bite or pinch with its teeth or beak, often

6.動詞及物B2
釋義

輕咬

動物用牙齒或喙快速輕咬一下

of an animal, to give a quick light bite or pinch with its teeth or beak, often as a warning or in play rather than to cause serious harm

例句

The puppy nipped Zuri's ankle when she tried to take its toy away.

Zuri 想把玩具拿走時，小狗咬了她的腳踝一口。

animal subject + body part: warning bite

The pony nipped Rania's sleeve as she walked past the fence.

Rania 從柵欄旁走過時，那匹小馬輕咬了她的袖子。

同義詞
  • nibble

    softer and longer; nibbling is gentle and repeated, nipping is one sharp bite

  • snap at

    more aggressive; the animal shows teeth and intends to bite

文法句型

nip + object

nip at + object

用法筆記

Subject is almost always an animal (dog, horse, parrot, crab). The bite is small and rarely breaks skin. Compare with sense 1 — sense 1 covers a person's pinch with fingers; this sense is about animal teeth.

常見錯誤

❌The shark nipped the surfer's leg.
✅The shark bit the surfer's leg.
💡'nip' suggests something small and not very harmful; sharks bite.

7. to take or steal something quickly, often something small and not very valuable,

7.動詞及物C2
釋義

順手牽走

英式口語，迅速偷走小東西

to take or steal something quickly, often something small and not very valuable, usually before the owner notices it is gone

例句

Someone nipped Christopher's umbrella from the office hallway last Friday.

上週五有人從辦公室走廊把 Christopher 的雨傘順手牽走了。

informal British slang for petty theft

Andrei suspected a colleague had nipped his packed lunch from the fridge.

Andrei 懷疑有同事把他的便當從冰箱裡順手拿走了。

同義詞
  • pinch

    very close informal British meaning; perhaps the most common synonym for petty theft

  • swipe

    informal; works in both British and American English

反義詞
  • return

    give back something that was taken

文法句型

nip + object

用法筆記

Informal British usage. Object is small and low-value (umbrella, sandwich, biscuits). For big or serious thefts, use 'steal' or 'rob'.

常見錯誤

❌The robbers nipped the bank's gold.
✅The robbers stole the bank's gold.
💡'nip' (this sense) only fits small everyday items, not serious crimes.

8. to beat another team or player by a very small score, usually in a sports match,

8.動詞及物C2
釋義

險勝

比賽中以極小差距獲勝

to beat another team or player by a very small score, usually in a sports match, suggesting that the result was very close until the final moment

例句

The home side nipped Kian's club two goals to one in the final minute.

主隊在最後一分鐘以二比一險勝 Kian 的球隊。

sports reporting register; common in newspaper match summaries

Elena nipped the defending champion by a single point in the chess final.

Elena 在西洋棋決賽中以一分之差險勝衛冕冠軍。

nip + opponent + by + margin

同義詞
  • edge out

    very close in meaning; perhaps more common in everyday speech than 'nip'

  • pip

    British informal; even stronger suggestion of a last-second win

反義詞
  • thrash

    win by a huge margin — the opposite of a close win

文法句型

nip + opponent

nip + opponent + by + margin

用法筆記

Almost only used in sports or competition contexts. The winning margin is always very small — one point, one goal, a few seconds. Compare with 'beat', which says nothing about the margin.

常見錯誤

❌Liam nipped his rival 50-10.
✅Liam crushed his rival 50-10.
💡'nip' only works for very close wins, not big victories.

9. to go somewhere fast and only for a short time, usually nearby, to do one small

9.動詞不及物B2
釋義

快去一下

英式口語，去附近辦小事很快回來

to go somewhere fast and only for a short time, usually nearby, to do one small errand before coming straight back

例句

Noa nipped out to the corner shop for milk before breakfast.

Noa 早餐前快去街角的小商店買牛奶。

nip out + for + errand: classic British everyday usage

Tara nipped upstairs to grab her phone charger.

Tara 快上樓拿手機充電器。

nip + direction adverb: very short trip indoors

同義詞
  • pop

    very close; 'pop out / pop in' carries the same informal British feeling

  • dash

    stresses speed more than briefness; sounds slightly more urgent

文法句型

nip + adverb of direction

nip + out/in/round/down

用法筆記

Informal British. Always followed by a direction word (out, in, up, down, round, into) and usually a short purpose. The trip is brief — minutes, not hours.

常見錯誤

❌Talia nipped to Australia for a week.
✅Talia flew to Australia for a week.
💡'nip' suggests a short nearby trip, not long-distance travel.

10. to drink small amounts of strong alcohol slowly and regularly throughout the day

10.動詞不及物C2
釋義

小口喝烈酒

整天小口慢慢喝烈酒的習慣

to drink small amounts of strong alcohol slowly and regularly throughout the day, usually as a quiet habit rather than at meals or in company

例句

Old Mr Cohen nipped at his brandy bottle all afternoon.

Cohen 老先生整個下午都在小口喝他那瓶白蘭地。

nip at + spirit bottle: standard dated frame

Zuri's great-uncle used to nip at whisky between lunch and dinner.

Zuri 的舅公以前午餐和晚餐之間都會小口喝威士忌。

同義詞
  • tipple

    even more old-fashioned; same disapproving hint of regular small drinking

  • sip

    neutral; says nothing about alcohol or frequency

文法句型

nip at + drink

用法筆記

Old-fashioned and slightly disapproving. Used for spirits, not beer or wine. Often suggests the drinker has a problem they keep hidden.

常見錯誤

❌Rania nipped a cup of tea.
✅Rania sipped a cup of tea.
💡'nip' (this sense) only fits strong alcohol, never soft drinks or tea.

nipped — 名詞