nip and tuck

adjective or adverb

: being so close that the lead or advantage shifts rapidly from one opponent to another

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Just ask Hilda Back, 63, who traveled from her home in Woodlands, Texas, to New York and shelled out $230,000 for a nip and tuck at the hands of Dr. Andrew Jacono, a plastic surgeon who is perhaps best known for doing the designer Marc Jacobs’s recent face-lift. New York Times, 3 May 2022 In their first game without injured star Diana Taurasi, the Phoenix Mercury lost a nip and tuck game Wednesday night against WNBA preseason favorite Las Vegas. Jeff Metcalfe, The Arizona Republic, 26 May 2021 Meta likely can’t nip and tuck its way to thousands of job cuts. Jacob Carpenter, Fortune, 7 Nov. 2022 With Ryan and recent signings in mind, we nip and tuck the 2022 first-round projection once more: 1. Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 22 Mar. 2022 So picture me, with an unexpectedly large amount of car to my left, trying to balance on the clutch as cars nip and tuck down a street not wide enough for two to drive abreast, with a two-foot-thick medieval wall just beyond my rearview mirror. Mike Mcshane, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2022 And that’s somewhat literal because this edition includes several cuts of the film that emerged over an insane postproduction that forced Scott and his team to nip and tuck at the entire film. Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 22 Nov. 2021 As draft language of the bill made its way through Congress, lawmakers friendly to billionaires and their lobbyists were able to nip and tuck and stretch the bill to accommodate a variety of special groups. Justin Elliott, ProPublica, 12 Aug. 2021 The scenes of Deborah at a spa, recovering from a routine nip and tuck, brought to mind Phyllis Diller, who was revolutionarily transparent about her own cosmetic procedures. Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 7 June 2021 See More

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

Word History

First Known Use

1832, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of nip and tuck was in 1832

Dictionary Entries Near nip and tuck

Cite this Entry

“Nip and tuck.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nip%20and%20tuck. Accessed 7 Jun. 2023.

Kids Definition

nip and tuck

adjective or adverb
: so close that the advantage shifts rapidly from one contestant to another
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