jinx
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to bring bad luck to; curse.
According to tradition, wishing an actor “good luck” before a show will jinx their performance.
That place on the corner seems jinxed—no business ever stays there for long.
-
to destroy the point of.
His sudden laugh jinxed the host's joke.
noun
interjection
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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jinxsimple
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jinxessimple
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have jinxedperfect
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has jinxedperfect
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am jinxingprogressive
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are jinxingprogressive
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is jinxingprogressive
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have been jinxingperfect progressive
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has been jinxingperfect progressive
Past
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jinxedsimple
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had jinxedperfect
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was jinxingprogressive
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were jinxingprogressive
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had been jinxingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of jinx
An Americanism first recorded in 1910–15; perhaps from Latin jynx “wryneck” (bird used in divination and magic), from Greek íynx, perhaps from or akin to iýzein “to shout, yell”
Explanation
If your sister gets a flat tire every single time you ride in her car, she may have good reason to accuse you of being a jinx, or a bringer of bad luck. When your bad luck makes you think there's a jinx on you, you believe that you're cursed. A bad omen — like a black cat — can be called a jinx, or the resulting bad fortune itself might be referred to that way. Jinx is also a verb, meaning "to subject to bad luck." In the 17th century the word was jyng, which also meant a bird called a "wryneck," used in witchcraft.
Vocabulary lists containing jinx
Friday the 13th
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Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for October 8–October 14, 2022
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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.
The last thing we need is to have Plaschke jinx another one of our local teams.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 14, 2026
The economy may have stuck the soft landing, but nobody wants to jinx it.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 18, 2026
Asked if he was playing as well as he ever has, he replied: "I don't want to jinx it so I will keep my mouth shut on that question."
From Barron's • Jan. 25, 2026
"I don't want to jinx it, but it has been sunny every single year," she says.
From BBC • May 22, 2025
Harry had his wand raised, waiting on tenterhooks to repel a jinx that seemed unlikely ever to come.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" 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.
