hex
verb (used with object)
to bewitch; practice witchcraft on.
hex
1 American
[heks]
/ hɛks /
verb (used with object)
hexes,
present (3rd person singular)
hexed,
past participle, past
hexing
present participle
noun
hexes
plural
-
spell; charm.
With all this rain, somebody must have put a hex on our picnic.
-
a witch.
hex
2
American
[heks]
/ hɛks /
hex.
3
American
abbreviation
-
hexagon
-
hexagonal.
hex
1
British
/ hɛks /
noun
hex
2
British
/ hɛks /
verb
noun
-
an evil spell or symbol of bad luck
-
a witch
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
hexsimple
-
hexessimple
-
have hexedperfect
-
has hexedperfect
-
am hexingprogressive
-
are hexingprogressive
-
is hexingprogressive
-
have been hexingperfect progressive
-
has been hexingperfect progressive
Past
-
hexedsimple
-
had hexedperfect
-
was hexingprogressive
-
were hexingprogressive
-
had been hexingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of hex1
1820–30; < German Hexe witch; see hag 1
Origin of hex2
First recorded in 1920–25; by shortening
Explanation
A hex is a magic spell or charm that's meant to cause harm. A witch in a story, for example, might put a hex on a prince that turns him into a chicken. If you believe in magic, you might either fear hexes or aspire to learn how to put them on your enemies — to hex them. In the Pennsylvania Dutch tradition, "hex signs," forms of stars, flowers, and circles, are commonly painted on barns. Though tourists often interpret these as having superstitious meanings, they're really just folk art symbols. The Middle High German root of hex is Hexe, or "witch."
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.
Now a coolheaded town is rationally panicking that the Presidential visit has put a hex on a team that couldn’t lose.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
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
The Teen’s true identity remains a secret thanks to the sigil hex that prevents others from hearing any identifying information about him, including his real name.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 25, 2024
“He looks like one good hex would finish him off, doesn’t he? Anyway...”
From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
