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

While the agony was prolonged, you can't imagine a player of Swiatek's quality will suffer a career-spanning hex.

From BBC • Apr. 21, 2025

People blowing up my phone like, “Man, it’s not fair. He gets 17 games,” or, “We’re going to put a hex on him.”

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 26, 2024

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

From Salon • Dec. 5, 2023

Miss Trotter said, “She’s the one who must come this way and beg my pardon. She has to walk to my home and wipe clean that hex she put over my generations.”

From "Gone Crazy in Alabama" by Rita Williams-Garcia

Related Words

• jinx
• whammy