tweezers

/ˈtwiːzərz/
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A precision gripping tool for holding, plucking, lifting, or positioning very small things.

Examples

  • A pair of eyebrow tweezers lay beside the mirror.
  • The technician positioned the component with antistatic tweezers.
  • She pulled the splinter out with tweezers.
  • The jeweler picked up the tiny stone with tweezers.
  • The surgeon used fine tweezers to hold the tissue steady.

Similar words

pincers
grippers
forceps
nippers
tongs

Meanings

Usage

Use tweezers for the tool itself, usually as a plural-form noun, and use tweeze only for the separate verb meaning to pluck with tweezers.

Common mistakes

A tweezer is less common than a pair of tweezers, and tweezers grip or pluck small things rather than cutting or clamping large objects.

Etymology

From obsolete English tweeze, a case for small instruments, shortened from etweese and traced to French etui, meaning a small case. The name moved from the case to the tool inside it.

FAQ

What are tweezers?

Tweezers are a small gripping tool with two narrow arms joined at one end, used to hold, pluck, or position tiny objects.

Is tweezers singular or plural?

Tweezers is plural in form but can take singular or plural agreement, especially when it means one tool or a pair of tweezers.

What are tweezers used for?

Tweezers are used for tasks such as plucking hairs, removing splinters, handling small parts, placing beads, and gripping delicate tissue.

What is the difference between tweezers and forceps?

Tweezers is the common everyday word, while forceps is often used for medical or technical instruments that grip small objects or tissue.

Is tweeze the same word as tweezers?

Tweeze is the related verb meaning to pluck or remove something with tweezers, while tweezers names the tool.

Where does tweezers come from?

Tweezers comes through obsolete English words for a small case, ultimately from French etui, before the name shifted to the tool.

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