Tong Definition & Meaning

American

British

Idioms

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

tong 1 American [tawng, tong] / tɔŋ, tɒŋ /

noun

1. tongs.

verb (used with object)

1. to lift, seize, gather, hold, or handle with tongs, as logs or oysters.

verb (used without object)

1. to use, or work with, tongs.

tong 2 American [tawng, tong] / tɔŋ, tɒŋ /

noun

1. (in China) an association, society, or political party.

2. (among Chinese living in the U.S.) a fraternal or secret society, often associated with criminal activities.

tong 1 British / tɒŋ /

verb

1. to gather or seize with tongs

2. to curl or style (hair) with curling tongs

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 tong 2 British / tɒŋ /

noun

1. (formerly) a Chinese secret society or association, esp one popularly assumed to engage in criminal activities

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 tong Idioms

1. see hammer and tongs.

Other Word Forms

• tonger noun

Etymology

Origin of tong1

before 900; 1865–70, tong 1 for def. 2; Middle English tong ( e ) (singular), tongen, tonges (plural), Old English; cognate with Dutch tang, German Zange pair of tongs or pincers; akin to Greek dáknein to bite

Origin of tong2

1880–85, < dialectal Chinese (Guangdong) tòhng, akin to Chinese táng meeting hall

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Raymond James analyst Olivia Tong also said there was a “high bar” for Estée Lauder’s results to clear.

From MarketWatch

For the last year, office worker Huong has taken half a day off every month to stand in line to buy gold on Hanoi's Tran Nhan Tong street.

From Barron's

I’d never even heard of Bua Tong, for example, otherwise known as “the sticky waterfall,” located an hour outside the city in a butterfly-filled jungle.

From The Wall Street Journal

Raymond James analyst Olivia Tong expects second-quarter organic sales to rise just 0.2% from a year ago due to “weaker consumption data in the U.S., exacerbated by the government shutdown.”

From Barron's

Raymond James analyst Olivia Tong expects second-quarter organic sales to rise just 0.2% from a year ago due to “weaker consumption data in the U.S., exacerbated by the government shutdown.”

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.