I. snip 1 /snɪp/ BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle snipped , present participle snipping ) [intransitive and transitive]
to cut something by making quick cuts with scissors:
I snipped the string and untied the parcel.
snip something off (=remove it by snipping)
Snip the ends of the beans off before you cook them.
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THESAURUS
▪ cut to divide something into two or more pieces, especially using a knife or ↑ scissors :
Do you want me to cut the cake?
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He cut off the lower branches.
▪ snip to quickly cut something, especially using ↑ scissors :
I snipped the label off.
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The hairdresser snipped away at her hair.
▪ slit to make a long narrow cut through something, especially using a knife:
He slit the envelope open with a penknife.
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She slit through the plastic covering.
▪ slash to cut something quickly and violently with a knife, making a long thin cut:
Someone had slashed the tyres on his car.
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He tried to slash his wrists.
▪ saw to cut wood, using a ↑ saw (=a tool with a row of sharp points) :
Saw the wood to the correct length.
▪ chop to cut wood, vegetables, or meat into pieces:
Bill was outside chopping up firewood with an axe.
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They chopped down the old tree.
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finely chopped onion
▪ slice to cut bread, meat, or vegetables into thin pieces:
I’ll slice the cucumber.
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Slice the bread thinly.
▪ dice to cut vegetables or meat into small square pieces:
First dice the apple into cubes.
▪ grate to cut cheese or a hard vegetable by rubbing it against a special tool:
Grate the cheese and sprinkle it over the vegetables.
▪ peel to cut the outside part off something such as a potato or apple:
I peeled the potatoes and put them in a saucepan.
▪ carve to cut thin pieces from a large piece of meat:
Uncle Ray carved the turkey.
▪ mow to cut the grass in a garden, park etc:
A gardener was mowing the lawn.
▪ trim ( also clip ) to cut a small amount off something, especially to make it look neater:
He was trimming his beard.
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Trim the excess fat off the meat.
II. snip 2 BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: Dutch ; Origin: and Low German ]
1 . a quick small cut with scissors
2 . be a snip British English informal to be surprisingly cheap:
At £20 for a dozen, they’re a snip.