nick

noun

A small cut in a surface.

Senses connoting something small.

(cricket) A small deflection of the ball off the edge of the bat, often going to the wicket-keeper for a catch.

(genetics) One of the single-stranded DNA segments produced during nick translation.

(real tennis, squash, racquetball) The point where the wall of the court meets the floor.

(UK, Ireland, Commonwealth, colloquial) Often in the expressions in bad nick and in good nick: condition, state.

(UK, Ireland, Commonwealth, law enforcement, slang) A police station or prison.

A diminutive of the male given name Nicholas.

(Internet) Clipping of nickname. [A familiar, invented name for a person or thing used instead of the actual name of the person or thing, often based on some noteworthy characteristic.]

(printing, dated) A notch cut crosswise in the shank of a type, to assist a compositor in placing it properly in the stick, and in distribution.

(now rare) A particular place or point considered as marked by a nick; the exact point or critical moment.

(archaic) A nix or nixie (“water spirit”).

verb

(transitive) To make a nick or notch in; to cut or scratch in a minor way.

(transitive) To make ragged or uneven, as by cutting nicks or notches in; to deface, to mar.

(transitive, sometimes figurative) To hit at, or in, the nick; to touch rightly; to strike at the precise point or time.

(transitive, cricket) To hit the ball with the edge of the bat and produce a fine deflection.

(transitive, gaming) To throw or turn up (a number when playing dice); to hit upon.

(transitive, mining) To make a cut at the side of the face.

(transitive, UK, Ireland, Commonwealth, colloquial) To steal.

(transitive, UK, Ireland, Commonwealth, law enforcement, slang) To arrest.

(transitive, rare) To make a crosscut or cuts on the underside of (the tail of a horse, in order to make the animal carry it higher).

(transitive, obsolete) To fit into or suit, as by a correspondence of nicks; to tally with.

(transitive, obsolete) To give or call (someone) by a nickname; to style.

Synonyms for nick

notchn markn

Words related to nick

jess joshv tonyadj snickn krisn kyle jill miken tomn jennyn bradn robv catev mickn gemman annan creesen charlie marcn petern sallyn johnnyn benn jo chadn joeyadj rickn jane amie heathern

Synonyms & related words for nick

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of nick — including notch, mark. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to nick

Explore words related to nick — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include jess, josh, tony, snick, kris, kyle, jill, mike. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for nick

Common synonyms for nick include notch, mark — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.