vise

1 of 4

noun (1)

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 increasesDavid Milne
viselike adjective

Illustration of vise

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 How to pronounce visé (audio)
vē-ˈzā
viséd or viséed; viséing

visé

4 of 4

noun (2)

: visa

Examples of vise in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Noun
Social Security and Medicare are rapidly headed for insolvency and already hold the rest of the federal budget in a tightening vise. Jonathan Rauch, The Atlantic, 10 Dec. 2024 From the ankle that throbs as if it had been twisted, to the head that feels as if it had been placed in a bench vise, the body is a ladder whose rungs are aches and pains. Richard Brookhiser, National Review, 21 Nov. 2024
Verb
McDonald’s left leg was vised between two plates of armored steel. Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 10 Nov. 2023 See all Example Sentences for vise 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of vise was in 1500

Dictionary Entries Near vise

Cite this Entry

“Vise.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vise. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on vise

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