- a tool with two long parts that are joined at one end, used for picking up and holding things
- a pair of tongs
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- (also curling tongs)(both British English)(North American English curling iron [countable])a tool that is heated and used to curl hairTopics Appearancec2
Word OriginOld English tang(e) (singular), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch tang and German Zange.
Idioms
See tongs in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionaryhammer and tongs
- (informal) if two people are at it hammer and tongs or go at it hammer and tongs, they argue or fight with a lot of energy and noise
- We could hear the neighbours going at it hammer and tongs.
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tongs