Examples of “tong” in a Sentence

noun A gripping tool with two hinged arms, used to pick up or hold something (usually hot or awkward) without touching it directly.

• She used the tongs to turn the steaks on the grill.
• The blacksmith gripped the glowing iron with a pair of long tongs.
• Use a pair of tongs to lift the corn out of the boiling water.

verb To pick up, move, or handle something with tongs.

• He tonged a few ice cubes into each glass.
• She tonged the hot rolls onto a serving plate.
• At the buffet, I tonged a few pieces of fried chicken onto my plate.

noun A Chinese-American community or family association, historically often organized around a shared clan name or hometown.

• The tong helped new immigrants find housing and work in the city.
• Members of the tong gathered each year to celebrate the holiday together.
• Her grandfather belonged to a tong that supported families from his home village.

noun Historically, a Chinese secret society or organized crime group, especially one active in North American Chinatowns in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

• Old newspaper accounts describe a tong war breaking out over control of gambling dens.
• Historians study how each tong fought for power in the crowded streets of Chinatown.
• The movie is about a tong that ran secret gambling halls long ago.