1. a tool with two hinged arms and blunt concave jaws for gripping and pulling things
Usage: usually plural
2. the front claws of a lobster, crab, or similar crustacean
Usage: biology; usually plural
3. a military maneuver in which forces attack from two sides to surround the enemy
Usage: military; usually in ‘pincer movement’ or ‘pincer attack’

Examples

• He used pincers to remove the splinter from his finger.
• The mechanic grabbed a pair of pincers to twist the wire.
• The lobster’s pincers were large and intimidating.
• A crab uses its pincers to catch and eat small fish.
• The general planned a pincer movement to trap the enemy forces.
• The army executed a successful pincer attack from both flanks.