tongs
/tɔŋz/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.80 in modern English
6
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
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.
noun
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”)
noun
plural of tong (“Chinese secret society”)
Example Sentences
- "There was also hairdressing: hairdressing, too, really was hairdressing in those times — no running a comb through it and that was that. It was curled, frizzed, waved, put in curlers overnight, waved with hot tongs;[…]."
Etymology
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /tɔŋz/
- British English: /tɒŋz/