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
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of clipping
Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 8 Sep. 2025
The Ewpjdk 4-Pack Garden Pruning Shears come with four pruning shears for the price of one and are versatile enough to take on all kinds of fall pruning tasks, like harvesting, clipping, deadheading, and cutting off the final fruits of the season, before winter comes.
—Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Sep. 2025
Jessie Quinn, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2025
After Declan Rice’s controversial second booking for delaying the restart in the third week of 2024-25, for example, not many more matchweeks went by without Arsenal fans clipping up comparable incidents on X where players escaped without sanction.
—Cerys Jones, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clipping
Verb
Use a rake to remove any debris such as grass clippings, leaves, branches, and twigs and to de-thatch areas where dry, brown grass prevents water and sun from reaching the soil.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 8 Sep. 2025
The Ewpjdk 4-Pack Garden Pruning Shears come with four pruning shears for the price of one and are versatile enough to take on all kinds of fall pruning tasks, like harvesting, clipping, deadheading, and cutting off the final fruits of the season, before winter comes.
—Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Sep. 2025
Noun
In addition to the clipping tools, the 7-in-1 pet grooming appliance also comes with a dog paw trimmer, a nail grinder, a deshedding tool and brushes to keep your pup’s hair tangle-free.
—Jessie Quinn, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2025
After Declan Rice’s controversial second booking for delaying the restart in the third week of 2024-25, for example, not many more matchweeks went by without Arsenal fans clipping up comparable incidents on X where players escaped without sanction.
—Cerys Jones, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clipping
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clipping
Verb
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Thankfully, a shelter volunteer, Nikki Miller, took up Chase’s cause, giving him a bath, trimming his nails and shaving his fur to get him back to looking his best again.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Sep. 2025
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However, the thawing of Russia’s northern coastline has opened a lane for vessels, shaving almost three weeks off shipping times compared to the journey around the Cape of Good Hope.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Tire tread depth - Checking your tire tread before hitting the road is important, as low or no tread can lead to sliding.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
5 Oct. 2025
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The Dodgers are one of the better teams in baseball at hitting changeups from lefties like Sánchez.—
Charlotte Varnes,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
Noun
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On third-and-11 in the first quarter, Iamaleava spotted a sliver of daylight that wasn’t there a blink before and turned it into a 22-yard jailbreak up the gut, gliding past white jerseys.—
Cameron Teague Robinson,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
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Yet the growing dependence on a small sliver of consumers at the top carries risks.—
Robert Frank,
CNBC,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Those savings could come from trimming what the government pays insurers to lower patients’ out-of-pocket costs or by reducing Medicare payments to doctors.—
Christopher Robertson,
The Conversation,
7 Oct. 2025
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Best Christmas Tree Decoration Deals Bring some Christmas spirit to every branch by trimming your tree with these decorations.—
Toni Sutton,
PEOPLE,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
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By slapping a $100,000 filing fee on H=1B visas, the White House has declared the days of cheap labor pipelines and visa abuse officially over.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
1 Oct. 2025
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On the knee-to-knee collision between each team’s superstar, Collier badly rolled her left ankle and was lying on the floor and slapping the court with her hand as Thomas made her drive.—
Mike Cook,
Twin Cities,
27 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The video was posted shortly after Bryan shared a snippet of a song that criticized ICE.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Oct. 2025
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The brouhaha started over when an audio snippet of a verse of an unnamed song began to be recirculated, in both electric and acoustic versions.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Little River Canyon National Preserve introduces visitors to a magnificent gorge that was created by the Little River cutting across the top of Lookout Mountain.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
4 Oct. 2025
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The trial was designed to appeal to cash-conscious customers, who’ve been cutting eating out from their budgets, hurting restaurants’ profits.—
Jordan Valinsky,
CNN Money,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
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While they were lined up, members put on boxing gloves and took turns punching the pledges four times in the chest, according to the petition.—
Jennifer Rodriguez,
Miami Herald,
30 Sep. 2025
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Jahmai Jones’ two-run single in the top of the fifth proved the difference, punching Detroit’s ticket to the playoffs and ensuring the Tigers would go into Game 162 with a chance to claw back the AL Central title from the insurgent Cleveland Guardians on the final day of the regular season.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
27 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clipping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clipping. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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