nip in the bud
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.
Walsh suggested to Sir Jeffrey that he had gone because it was "something you needed to nip in the bud".
From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026
This is a rare emergent epidemic that we can still nip in the bud.
From Salon ● Oct. 19, 2023
That sets up the kind of clown-car spectacle that a Chief Justice Roberts—who would prefer to participate in this senate trial from behind a bulletproof screen—would perhaps be moved to nip in the bud.
From Slate ● Jan. 15, 2020
Today, the Since 9/11 charity runs counter-extremism programs in British schools, aiming to nip in the bud the impulses that led to 9/11 and to the attacks that have since taken place in Britain.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 10, 2018
Slaney had not the nerve to face that, and, besides, as he rightfully reflected, it would serve no purpose except to nip in the bud the career of a promising police officer.
From A Prairie Courtship by Harold Bindloss
