nickname
Americannoun
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nicknames
plural
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a name added to or substituted for the proper name of a person, place, etc., as in affection, ridicule, or familiarity.
He has always loathed his nickname of “Whizzer.”
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a familiar form of a proper name, as Jim for James and Peg for Margaret.
verb (used with object)
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nicknames,
present (3rd person singular)
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nicknamed,
past participle, past
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nicknaming
present participle
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to give a nickname to (a person, town, etc.); call by a nickname.
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Archaic. to call by an incorrect or improper name; misname.
noun
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a familiar, pet, or derisory name given to a person, animal, or place
his nickname was Lefty because he was left-handed
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a shortened or familiar form of a person's name
Joe is a nickname for Joseph
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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nicknamesimple
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nicknamessimple
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have nicknamedperfect
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has nicknamedperfect
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am nicknamingprogressive
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are nicknamingprogressive
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is nicknamingprogressive
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have been nicknamingperfect progressive
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has been nicknamingperfect progressive
Past
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nicknamedsimple
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had nicknamedperfect
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was nicknamingprogressive
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were nicknamingprogressive
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had been nicknamingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of nickname
1400–50; late Middle English nekename, for ekename (the phrase an ekename being taken as a nekename ). See eke 2, name; cf. newt
Explanation
Your special, fond name for your cousin is a nickname. If his name is Steven, his nickname might be Steve — or it might very well be "Stinky" or "Junior." Nicknames can be shortened forms of first names or surnames; affectionate pet names; or names that tease or ridicule their recipient. If your name is David, but your friends call you "Dave," that's your nickname. If your sweetheart calls you "Honey," that's also a nickname. And if your coworkers call you "Skinny," there's your third nickname. Before the fifteenth century, the word was ekename, "an additional name," from the Old English eaca, "an increase."
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.
See Examples For:
Regardless of a funny, informal nickname for this season’s Lakers, so far the starting unit has been great fun to watch.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 7, 2026
Detractors have given her the nickname “Tiffany O’Data Center.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
Early on against United at Stamford Bridge, supporters chanted "Steve-o", their tongue-in-cheek nickname for the £38m signing from Palmeiras.
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026
Jewish-majority parties opposed to Netanyahu, known by his nickname Bibi, won 48 seats, while two Arab-majority parties, Raam and the Joint List, secured a combined 19 seats.
From Barron's ● Oct. 31, 2026
And just like that, I was the sponsor of a boxer, I had security for the business, and my fighter had a cool nickname.
From "Lawn Boy" by Gary Paulsen
The Telluride HEV is the sort of vehicle families get emotionally attached to, giving them affectionate nicknames like Bessie or Maude.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2026
The pilots, a team of champion drone pilots based in Austin, have “Top Gun”-style nicknames like “Amari” and “Proximo.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
"One of the many things I regret is that I hurt so many people by giving them nasty nicknames, and above all that I was unkind to the children of celebrities."
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
They have earned it the nicknames "Copper capital" and "World cobalt capital".
From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026
It’s one of Sam’s favorite nicknames for me.
From "Free Lunch" by Rex Ogle
Shares in the company nicknamed “the front page of the internet” tumbled 25% to $96.85, with the decline at 44% since the start of the year.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026
After the war, when the princess decides to defect to the West, a river-barge captain nicknamed St. Peter smuggles her past communist guards in a sealed, nearly full water tank.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
A longtime videographer for Sanders, Neely mentioned that some members of the media seem to thrive off of negative coverage of Sanders, nicknamed Coach Prime.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
Researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science have identified a protein called MTCH2, nicknamed "Mitch," that plays an important role in controlling metabolism.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026
They had nicknamed the minivan Sal, another homage to the great and almighty Jack Kerouac.
From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
Sokol earned a reputation for being hard-driving and sometimes difficult, with some nicknaming him “The Great Young God,” a nod to both his intelligence and his ego.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 25, 2026
The name Beaver Moon follows a longstanding tradition of nicknaming supermoons.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2025
The caption: “POV: Me on my way to HR yet again for nicknaming my co-worker ‘Tariff’ for costing the company more than they’re worth.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 20, 2025
As with many a critically reviled Broadway musical, those who loved it banded together, nicknaming themselves “Difanas.”
From New York Times ● Aug. 7, 2022
But in the Key West tradition of nicknaming, everyone called him TooBad because he was terrible at marbles.
From Full of Beans by Jennifer L. Holm
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