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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
jinxsimple
-
jinxessimple
-
have jinxedperfect
-
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
-
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.
See Examples For:
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
"I don't want to jinx it, but I feel like it's gone very, very well," says Ricky.
From BBC ● Nov. 23, 2025
“I don’t want to jinx it,” said Seckeita Lewis, who was flying Friday from San Francisco to Dallas on American Airlines.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2025
I don’t know why I thought this would jinx it from actually happening.
From "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera
“Certainly it had nothing to do with the market selloff — it was just kind of one of those jinxes, if you want to call it that,” Saluzzi said.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 2, 2026
In 2002, the Angels won the World Series, and talk of hexes and jinxes could be extinguished forever.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2022
Nantz is already talking like he’s won—paging Scott Hoch—which would have been the announcer jinx to end all announcer jinxes.
From Golf Digest ● Apr. 10, 2020
We still need people in this world that believe in jinxes, bad luck superstition, the non-existence of dinosaurs and a flat earth.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 23, 2019
And he explained all about how the Firebolt was now being checked for jinxes.
From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling
There’s even some blame for New York’s new mayor, Zohran Mamdani, a Mets fan who apparently jinxed the team early April when he posed for a photo-op with unsettling team mascots Mr. and Mrs. Met.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 22, 2026
If it tanks, I’ll have jinxed it on behalf of all those EpiPen overpayers from the mid-2010s.
From Barron's ● Apr. 10, 2026
"We went from being 'El Pupas - the jinxed ones', to a club that can compete against Barcelona and Real Madrid without fear," Myela says.
From BBC ● Apr. 4, 2026
Once again, Bill Plaschke has literally jinxed another Southern California sports team with his proclamation questions regarding the Rams:
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 20, 2025
“Yes, but he hadn’t jinxed it, had he?” said Ron.
From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling
To avoid jinxing it, Kohs and Krieg never even uttered the word Nobel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 17, 2026
What Times columnist Bill Plaschke is to jinxing Dodger baseball, we must have the same effect for Grammy hopefuls.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 8, 2024
And perhaps to avoid jinxing things, she has revealed this year what is on her phone's lock screen to motivate her this time round, telling reporters: "You're going to know after the final."
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2023
“I think I could be jinxing a player who hasn’t come into the NBA yet by me anointing him as the next great one,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 14, 2022
I didn’t want to tell her about jinxing people; I didn’t need to give her any reason to think rootwork was scary.
From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce
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.
