Added 9 October 2026
tongs
/tɒŋz/ noun
In Latin: forceps Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about tongs at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- An instrument or tool used for picking things up without touching them with the hands or fingers, consisting of two slats or grips hinged at the end or in the middle, and sometimes including a spring to open the grips.
- A large scissors-like two-piece center-hinged forged-iron implement with oval-loop handles and with pointed tips turned inward (in the same plane as and perpendicular to the handles) to facilitate lifting and carrying a block of ice. Often called ice tongs.
noun
- plural of tong (“instrument”)
verb
- third-person singular simple present indicative of tong
noun
Origin
From Middle English tonges, equivalent to tong (“tool for manipulating things in a fire”) + -s.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)