Nancy

American

[nan-see, nahn-see] / ˈnæn si, nɑ̃ˈsi /

noun

a city in and the capital of Meurthe-et-Moselle, in NE France: battles 1477, 1914, 1944.
Also Nancee, Nancie. a female given name, form of Ann or Anna.
(sometimes lowercase) nance.

nancy ¹ British

/ ˈnænsɪ /

noun

Also called: nancy boy.
1. an effeminate or homosexual boy or man
2. ( as modifier )
  
  his nancy ways

"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

Nancy ² British

/ ˈnænsɪ, ˈnɑ̃si /

noun

a city in NE France: became the capital of the dukes of Lorraine in the 12th century, becoming French in 1766; administrative and financial centre. Pop: 103 605 (1999)

"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

Etymology

Origin of nancy

C20: from the girl's name Nancy

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:

Nancy nancy

Nancy Gates, who is head of education at Boldin, an online financial-planning platform, is obviously a software person.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2026

The early returns showed healthcare workforce specialist Elaine Alaniz and former board member Nancy Pearlman locked in a close race for second and third.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026

"The American people don't want us to get even," said Jeffries, who succeeded Nancy Pelosi as House minority leader in 2023.

From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026

At 57, he married Nancy Randolph, 22 years his junior, who belonged to a first family of Virginia.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

Nancy, Bess, and George chatted as they walked away from the hill.

From "Case of the Sneaky Snowman: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #5" by Carolyn Keene

The two had first met when nancy, a film actress with a moderately successful career, contacted Reagan, president of the Screen Actors Guild.

From US News ● Mar. 6, 2016

Have you tried it? nancy harmon jenkins, Maine Yes, I’ve tried stir-frying with extra-virgin olive oil, and it doesn’t work because the oil has a low-smoking point.

From New York Times ● Sep. 17, 2010

Mr. Kettering has that the chief block to progress is the stag nancy of human minds.

From Time Magazine Archive

"You won't want to nancy about in shorts once the first leech has had a go at you, believe me."

From Time Magazine Archive

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023