vise

1 of 4

noun (1)

1
: any of various tools with two jaws for holding work that close usually by a screw, lever, or cam
2
: something likened to a vise
economic vise of slow growth and rampant price increasesDavid Milne
viselike adjective

Illustration of vise

Illustration of vise
  • vise 1

vise

2 of 4

verb (1)

vised; vising

transitive verb

: to hold, force, or squeeze with or as if with a vise

visé

3 of 4

verb (2)

vi·​sé ˈvē-ˌzā How to pronounce visé (audio)
vē-ˈzā
viséd or viséed; viséing

visé

4 of 4

noun (2)

: visa

Examples of vise in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
High production and shipping costs, low commodity prices and meat packing monopolies tighten the vise. Ben Long, The Denver Post, 13 Feb. 2024 Place the hook in the vise with the point facing down. Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 17 Jan. 2024 Then, lock the tool into a vise or hold it still with a clamp and move a mill file along the edge of the blade to sharpen. Renee Freemon Mulvihill, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 May 2023 To the moody strains of Sheik’s alt-rock score, the vise of adolescence is captured in a story about pubescent youths rebelling against the warping will of adult hypocrisy and repression. Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2023 Once the vise is closed, retreat and surrender will be the enemy’s only option. Daniel Ford, WSJ, 10 May 2022 Some voiced confidence that the legal vise on the Russian leader would only grow tighter. Mark Landler, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Mar. 2023 The pain came on gradually over several weeks, as if some part of my brain were being slowly squeezed in a vise. Moises Velasquez-Manoff, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2023 Some readers will complain that the influencer class has young people in a vise. M.t. Richards, Rolling Stone, 25 Aug. 2023
Verb
McDonald’s left leg was vised between two plates of armored steel. Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 10 Nov. 2023 And there are also bench vises with a hefty anvil incorporated into them. Roy Berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, 9 Aug. 2023 And that statement includes bench vises that have an anvil built in. Roy Berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, 9 Aug. 2023 Still, Joy Ride understands how to get down and dirty, and that the healing power of raunch-coms lies in making the transgressive seem relatable, and vise versa. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 7 July 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'vise.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English vys, vice screw, from Anglo-French vyz, from Latin vitis vine — more at withy

Verb (2)

French, past participle of viser to visa, from visa

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1500, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

1602, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1810, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1842, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of vise was in 1500

Dictionary Entries Near vise

Cite this Entry

“Vise.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vise. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

vise

noun
ˈvīs
: any of various tools with two jaws for holding work that close usually by a screw or lever
viselike adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on vise

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