jinx

[ jingks ]
See synonyms for: jinxjinxed on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)
  1. 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.

  2. to destroy the point of: His sudden laugh jinxed the host's joke.

noun
  1. a person, thing, or influence supposed to bring bad luck: They said I was a jinx, because every time I came to see them play, they lost.

interjection
  1. (used after two people say exactly the same thing at exactly the same time): I’ll drive—jinx! Great minds think alike!

Origin of jinx

1
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”

Other words from jinx

  • out·jinx, verb (used with object)

Words Nearby jinx

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use jinx in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for jinx

jinx

/ (dʒɪŋks) /


noun
  1. an unlucky or malevolent force, person, or thing

verb
  1. (tr) to be or put a jinx on

Origin of jinx

1
C20: perhaps from New Latin Jynx genus name of the wryneck, from Greek iunx wryneck, the name of a bird used in magic

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012