tongs
Use Tongs in a sentence
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noun (usually used with a plural verb)
any of various implements consisting of two arms hinged, pivoted, or otherwise fastened together, for seizing, holding, or lifting something (usually used with pair of ).
Dictionary.com Unabridged
noun
1.
verb (used with object)
2.
to lift, seize, gather, hold, or handle with tongs, as logs or oysters.
verb (used without object)
3.
to use, or work with, tongs.
Origin:
before 900; 1865–70, for def 2; Middle English tong(e) (singular), tongen, tonges (plural), Old English; cognate with Dutch tang, German Zange pair of tongs or pincers; akin to Greek dáknein to bite
before 900; 1865–70, for def 2; Middle English tong(e) (singular), tongen, tonges (plural), Old English; cognate with Dutch tang, German Zange pair of tongs or pincers; akin to Greek dáknein to bite
Related forms
tong·er, noun
00:10
Tongs
is always a great word to know.
So is zedonk. Does it mean:
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
| the offspring of a zebra and a donkey. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To tongs
Collins
World English Dictionary
tong1 (tɒŋ) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | to gather or seize with tongs |
| 2. | to curl or style (hair) with curling tongs |
| tong2 (tɒŋ) | |
| —n | |
| (formerly) a Chinese secret society or association, esp one popularly assumed to engage in criminal activities | |
| [C20: from Chinese (Cantonese) t'ong meeting place] | |
| tongs (tɒŋz) | |
| —pl n | |
| Also called: pair of tongs a tool for grasping or lifting, consisting of a hinged, sprung, or pivoted pair of arms or levers, joined at one end | |
| [plural of Old English tange; related to Old Saxon tanga, Old High German zanga, Old Norse tong] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
Tong
"Chinese secret society," 1883, from Cantonese t'ong "assembly hall."
tongs
O.E. tange, tang "tongs," from P.Gmc. *tango (cf. O.S. tanga, O.N. töng, Swed. tång, O.Fris. tange, M.Du. tanghe, Du. tang, O.H.G. zanga, Ger. Zange), lit. "that which bites," from PIE base *dank- "bite" (cf. Skt. dasati "biter;" Gk. daknein "to bite," dax "biting"). For sense evolution, cf.
Fr. mordache "tongs," from mordre "to bite."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
Add cilantro stems, then carefully add half of crabs using tongs and return to a boil.
He's the sort to invite everyone over so he can brag about his new satellite dish or his array of spatulas and tongs.
Wearing heat-proof gloves and tongs, remove the boat containing the mixed oxides from the tube furnace.
But iron slippers had already been put upon the fire, and they were brought in with tongs, and set before her.
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