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
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.
Alexander Zverev ploughed into the Australian Open last eight on Sunday but said he "did not want to jinx it" as he bids to make the final for a second year in a row.
From Barron's • Jan. 25, 2026
The Rams are going to win it all, and before you cry jinx, understand that this is just putting into words what many already are thinking.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 15, 2025
Thompson has plans to produce something for DaCosta, a TV adaptation of a book, but is still in the process of finalizing the rights and is reluctant to jinx it by saying the title.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 23, 2025
With Frankenstein, he worries he’ll jinx the monster by talking too much about him, snuffing out the ineffable thing that he says fueled his performance.
From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 30, 2025
“No, we got wind of a nasty backfiring jinx down in Elephant and Castle, but luckily the Magical Law Enforcement Squad had sorted it out by the time we got there...”
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.
