Other than the brief negotiations in 2011–12 and 2018–19, three successive U.S. administrations have relied on a global pressure campaign to tighten the vise on North Korea while stopping short of instigating war.—Frank Aum, Foreign Affairs, 22 Dec. 2022 Asked whether leading Berkeley felt like being caught in a vise, Dr. Christ nodded and smiled a tight smile.—Kurt Streeter, New York Times, 6 June 2024
Verb
Another way is if the appointee wins the special election but not the regular election, or vise versa.—Taylor Seely, The Arizona Republic, 19 Mar. 2024 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
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'vise.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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
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