hex

¹ American  

[heks] / hɛks /

verb (used with object)

1. to bewitch; practice witchcraft on.

   He was accused of hexing his neighbors' cows because they suddenly stopped giving milk.

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noun

1. spell; charm.

   With all this rain, somebody must have put a hex on our picnic.

2. a witch.

hex ² American  

[heks] / hɛks /

adjective

Informal.

1. hexagonal.

   a bolt with a matching washer and hex nut.

2. hexadecimal.

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hex. ³ American  

abbreviation

1. hexagon

2. hexagonal.

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hex ¹ British  

/ hɛks /

noun

1. 1. short for hexadecimal

   2. ( as modifier )

      hex code

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hex ² British  

/ hɛks /

verb

1. (tr) to bewitch

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noun

1. an evil spell or symbol of bad luck

2. a witch

Other Word Forms

• hexer noun

Etymology

Origin of hex¹

1820–30; < German Hexe witch; hag ¹

Origin of hex²

First recorded in 1920–25; by shortening

Example Sentences

Like the store’s sign, the sky glowed Big Orange, hex code #F96302, or Pantone 165 C, available in the paint department inside.

From Slate • Jan. 27, 2026

So how, after decades of pain, have Scotland turned the tables in recent years and put a Calcutta Cup hex on the English?

From BBC • Feb. 19, 2025

After putting Tommy and Billy to bed one last time, Wanda undoes the magical hex controlling the town and the twins dissolve along with their dad because they can’t exist without it.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 15, 2024

No longer a pristine hex shape, it was now gnarled up and unusable.

From Salon • Dec. 5, 2023

“Maybe the same person who put the hex on your father put some sort of enchantment on the book then. Maybe there is information we can’t see,” Seven said.

From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega

Related Words

• jinx
• whammy