nipped 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.
Had a military coup been nipped in the bud?
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 26, 2026
She said she was aware of similar attacks by young people happening last summer in Braunstone Town and told police it needed to be "nipped in the bud".
From BBC • Jun. 3, 2025
An idea that most everyone else at the company was embarrassed to be associated with was nipped in the bud.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 26, 2023
Ideally, it should have been nipped in the bud when the first cases appeared in May and June outside West and Central Africa, where monkeypox has been endemic for decades.
From Washington Post • Jul. 15, 2022
If they had known the various tender passages which had been nipped in the bud, they would have had the immense satisfaction of saying, “I told you so.”
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
