1
as in trimming
to make (something) shorter or smaller with the use of a cutting instrument
a mother who's sad to see her little boy's curls clipped for the first time
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hitting
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
the pitch clipped the batter's helmet with enough force to knock it clean off his head
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of clipping
Nicole Acosta, People.com, 18 Apr. 2025
Recycle Lawn Clippings Don’t bag clippings when mowing.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 Apr. 2025
Tricia Manzanero Stuedeman, Southern Living, 10 Dec. 2024
To maximize flowering, prune late blooming clematis hard in February by clipping vines back to the lowest set of flower buds.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for clipping
Noun
According to the clipping, the two men were accused of beating Lienemann with a baseball bat and setting his body on fire in a dumpster.
—Nicole Acosta, People.com, 18 Apr. 2025
Recycle Lawn Clippings Don’t bag clippings when mowing.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 Apr. 2025
Verb
Bag up thicker icing in a variety of shades, clipping or tying the back of the piping bags to seal, then create bags of thinner icing in a variety of colors.
—Tricia Manzanero Stuedeman, Southern Living, 10 Dec. 2024
To maximize flowering, prune late blooming clematis hard in February by clipping vines back to the lowest set of flower buds.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for clipping
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clipping
Noun
-
Harry’s has become the second-biggest brand in the $2.8 billion U.S. men’s shaving market, according to Euromonitor, behind Gillette but ahead of both Edgewell’s brands and Dollar Shave Club, the once-booming start-up.—
Michael J. de la Merced,
New York Times,
9 Apr. 2025
-
The leaders share the goals of reducing taxes, shaving spending and balancing the budget.—
Alexis Simendinger,
The Hill,
25 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Melissa Joan Hart is showing off her impressive beard-trimming skills!—
Gil Macias,
People.com,
6 Jan. 2025
-
The couple can be seen having a blast as Hart took the clippers and started trimming Wilkerson's beard in various ways, eventually splitting it into three long strands.—
Gil Macias,
People.com,
6 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
But instead of stopping, Burnett tried to drive away, hitting a tow truck in the process, police said.—
Natalie Demaree,
Miami Herald,
31 Mar. 2025
-
The first season of Severance was a kettle on a flame, hitting its boiling point around Episode 7, and then just boiling over for the final three episodes.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
31 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Karts go 30 miles per hour, and the course includes a sliver of track form the real grand prix circuit.—
Ryan Slattery,
Travel + Leisure,
24 Apr. 2025
-
Even during the partial phases of a total eclipse, the remaining sliver of the sun's disk is still bright enough to overwhelm the faint corona.—
Jamie Carter,
Space.com,
22 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Her poems of that era — sonnets, epigrams, eminently quotable snippets of rhymed gossip — pulse with the dynamism and attitude of the modern city.—
A.O. Scott,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2025
-
This awesome 5-minute featurette offers a wealth of new footage, costume unveilings, filming snippets, the Daily Planet set, a Kryptonian robot, and more cameras rolling making-of moments, in addition to candid comments by cast and crew and even James Gunn himself.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
25 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The group in the other vehicle surround Martinez between the two vehicles, with two people repeatedly punching her while a third person pulls her legs, taking her to the ground.—
Nathan Solis,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Dec. 2024
-
According to Hallman, Forrest-Stitt responded by allegedly assaulting him, punching him in the chest, hitting his mouth, and causing injuries, including a busted lip and a painful bicep injury.—
Gordon G. Chang,
Newsweek,
11 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
Not only was a large splinter of the bat traveling toward him, but the baseball was, too.—
Brendan Kuty,
New York Times,
22 Apr. 2025
-
Zigzagging rooftops nod to hawksbill turtle shells, and the beach house–style interiors have beds fringed by gauzy drapes bound with sisal rope and breezy bathrooms with terrazzo floors made from shell splinters and mother-of-pearl.—
Jennifer Flowers,
AFAR Media,
3 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The set includes an 8-inch chef knife, 8-inch bread knife, 8-inch slicing knife, a 7-inch Santoku knife, 5-inch utility knife, and 3.5-inch paring knife.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
14 Mar. 2025
-
Just as the interior of the house may benefit from a paring down for selling, so too could the yard.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
24 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clipping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clipping. Accessed 14 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share