v. 1 bite, nibble; pinch, snip, clip, cut, snap, tweak, twitch, trim, lop, crop, shear; grip, squeeze The dog nipped the postman's ankle Nip off the suckers to promote healthy growth of the tomatoes. 2 nip in the bud. stop, arrest, check, thwart, frustrate, stymie, forestall; quash, squelch, suppress, extinguish, put down The revolt of the army officers was nipped in the bud
n. 3 bite, nibble, morsel, pinch, snip The deer had taken nips off the tips of the shrubbery 4 chill, coldness, iciness, sharpness, tang, bite There's a definite wintry nip in the air tonight