vise

1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈvīs 

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 increases

—David Milne

viselike

ˈvīs-ˌlīk 

adjective

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 

vē-ˈzā

viséd or viséed; viséing

transitive verb

: visa

visé

4 of 4

noun (2)

: visa

Examples of vise in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

And this is an issue in which Trump has always been sort of caught in a vise. —NBC News, 1 Sep. 2024

Other than the brief negotiations in 2011–12 and 2018–19, three successive U.S. administrations have relied on a global pressure campaign to tighten the vise on North Korea while stopping short of instigating war. —Frank Aum, Foreign Affairs, 22 Dec. 2022

Verb

After vising the company’s Texas headquarters and meeting with executives, analyst Michael Ng says the firm came away from the discussions optimistic that the growing demand for artificial intelligence data centers will help boost Dell stock. —Brian Evans, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2024

Look for opportunity in the difficulty instead of vise versa. —Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 14 Sep. 2024

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

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