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.
Fanning plays the titular character Margo Millet, who forms a complex family unit with parents Shyanne and Jinx, played by Pfeiffer and Offerman.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026
Jinx packed up and Evan packed up and Lisa packed up and Dazed packed up.
From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026
In 2015 "The Jinx" was something original, a crime docuseries striving to match the quality of HBO's highbrow scripted shows.
From Salon • Apr. 21, 2024
Betty Borracchini, also known as Jinx, died in September 2013, days after celebrating her and Remo’s 59th wedding anniversary.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 24, 2023
Jinx reached into the wheelbarrow and pulled out the red handkerchief the old woman had given him.
From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool
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.
