nickel

American  

[nik-uhl] / ˈnɪk əl /

noun

1. Chemistry. a hard, silvery-white, ductile and malleable metallic element, allied to iron and cobalt, not readily oxidized: used chiefly in alloys, in electroplating, and as a catalyst in organic synthesis. Ni; 58.71; 28; 8.9 at 20°C.

2. a cupronickel coin of the U.S., the 20th part of a dollar, equal to five cents.

3. a nickel coin of Canada, the 20th part of a dollar, equal to five cents.

---

verb (used with object)

nickeled, nickeling, nickelled, nickelling

1. to cover or coat with nickel; nickel-plate.

adjective

1. Slang. costing or worth five dollars.

   a nickel bag of heroin.

nickel British  

/ ˈnɪkəl /

noun

1. a malleable ductile silvery-white metallic element that is strong and corrosion-resistant, occurring principally in pentlandite and niccolite: used in alloys, esp in toughening steel, in electroplating, and as a catalyst in organic synthesis. Symbol: Ni; atomic no: 28; atomic wt: 58.6934; valency: 0, 1, 2, or 3; relative density: 8.902; melting pt: 1455°C; boiling pt: 2914°C

2. a US and Canadian coin and monetary unit worth five cents

---

verb

1. (tr) to plate with nickel

nickel Scientific  

/ nĭk′əl /

1. A silvery, hard, ductile metallic element that occurs in ores along with iron or magnesium. It resists oxidation and corrosion and is used to make alloys such as stainless steel. It is also used as a coating for other metals. Atomic number 28; atomic weight 58.69; melting point 1,453°C; boiling point 2,732°C; specific gravity 8.902; valence 0, 1, 2, 3.

2. See Periodic Table

---

nickel Idioms  

1. see not worth a dime (plugged nickel).

---

Usage

What else does nickel mean? Nickel is a slang term for "five" of anything, especially a small bag of drugs costing five dollars or five-year prison sentence.

Etymology

Origin of nickel

1745–55; < Swedish, abstracted from kopparnickel < German Kupfernickel niccolite, literally, copper demon (so called because though looking like copper it yielded none); Nickel demon, special use of short form of Nikolaus proper name. Old Nick, pumpernickel

Example Sentences

Sulphur is used to make sulphuric acid, which is used for processing copper, cobalt and nickel and also for the extraction of lithium.

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026

Researchers addressed these issues by introducing a nickel alloy-based intermediate layer.

From Science Daily • Mar. 13, 2026

Within a few years the academy switched to a lighter tin-based alloy known as Britannia metal, plated in layers of copper, nickel silver and gold.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 12, 2026

The auditor said he isn’t out to nickel and dime anyone.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026

And he didn’t know that all the time her brain was busy with how she could save a nickel or squeeze out an extra dime.

From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers