knickknack

or nick·nack

[ nik-nak ]

/ ˈnɪkˌnæk /

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See synonyms for: knickknack / knickknacks on Thesaurus.com

noun

an ornamental trinket or gimcrack; a bit of bric-a-brac.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of knickknack

1610–20; gradational compound based on knack in obsolete sense “toy”

OTHER WORDS FROM knickknack

knickknacked, adjectiveknickknacky, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use knickknack in a sentence

Tom and she were some time selecting a dozen timely, funny, and attractive nicknacks for the fresh airs.
Ruth Fielding At Sunrise Farm|Alice B. Emerson
"I have these few nicknacks," added the stranger, producing a bundle tied in his pocket-handkerchief.
Jack Harkaway and His Son's Escape From the Brigand's of Greece|Bracebridge Hemyng
Such an array of nicknacks and pretty things on mantel and dressing-case she had never seen before.
Jennie Gerhardt|Theodore Dreiser
He looked round the little sitting-room in which she had the furniture and nicknacks from her room at the bank.
The Rider of Waroona|Firth Scott

I went back to my house and ransacked it furtively for nicknacks, without much success.
A Witch of the Hills, v. 1-2|Florence Warden

British Dictionary definitions for knickknack

knick-knack

nick-nack

/ (ˈnɪkˌnæk) /

noun

a cheap ornament; trinket

an ornamental article of furniture, dress, etc

Derived forms of knick-knack

knick-knackery or nick-nackery, noun

Word Origin for knick-knack

C17: by reduplication from knack, in obsolete sense: toy

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