Knickerbocker

[ nik-er-bok-er ]

/ ˈnɪk ərˌbɒk ər /

noun

a descendant of the Dutch settlers of New York.

any New Yorker.

QUIZZES

CAN YOU ACE THIS QUIZ ABOUT “COMPLIMENT” VS. “COMPLEMENT”?

Take this quiz to see if you really know the difference between “compliment” and “complement"!

Question 1 of 11

“Compliment” and “complement” had a shared meaning a long time ago, but today they are no longer interchangeable.

True

False

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of Knickerbocker

1800–10, Americanism; generalized from Diedrich Knickerbocker, fictitious author of Washington Irving's History of New York

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for knickerbocker

On some, on the letterhead, it will say, Dashiell Hammett, Knickerbocker, San Francisco, California.
Lost Hammett Stories Discovered|Malcolm Jones|February 16, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The last time he saw her was at lunch at the Knickerbocker Club in September 2001.
Is Brooke Astor's Son a Swindler?|Ralph Gardner, Jr.|May 1, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Knickerbocker SKD also happens to have another client—the Rev. Al Sharpton, with whom Kennedy just had a media-event lunch.
Unknown Caroline|Harry Siegel|December 20, 2008|DAILY BEAST
Mr. Knickerbocker was staring about the room, gazing at the women with open effrontery, and a senile leer upon his face.
Frenzied Fiction|Stephen Leacock

The "Oregon" and the "Knickerbocker" were placed on the route, and the enterprise proved a success.
Great Fortunes, and How They Were Made|James D. McCabe, Jr.
Soon after Knickerbocker came out, Irving went to Albany in the fruitless pursuit of a minor court appointment.
Washington Irving|Henry W. Boynton
But he sent it to the old "Knickerbocker Magazine," where it appeared in 1862.
Our Friend John Burroughs|Clara Barrus
Soon after, Clark republished it in the Knickerbocker, saying that it was evidently by me.
Memoirs|Charles Godfrey Leland

British Dictionary definitions for knickerbocker

Knickerbocker

/ (ˈnɪkəˌbɒkə) /

noun US

a descendant of the original Dutch settlers of New York

an inhabitant of New York

Word Origin for Knickerbocker

C19: named after Diedrich Knickerbocker, fictitious Dutchman alleged to be the author of Washington Irving's History of New York (1809)

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