nickname
[ nik-neym ]
/ ˈnɪkˌneɪm /
noun
a name added to or substituted for the proper name of a person, place, etc., as in affection, ridicule, or familiarity: He has always loathed his nickname of “Whizzer.”
a familiar form of a proper name, as Jim for James and Peg for Margaret.
verb (used with object), nick·named, nick·nam·ing.
to give a nickname to (a person, town, etc.); call by a nickname.
Archaic. to call by an incorrect or improper name; misname.
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Origin of nickname
OTHER WORDS FROM nickname
nick·nam·er, nounun·nick·named, adjectiveWords nearby nickname
nickeltype, nicker, nicking, nicklaus, nicknack, nickname, nickpoint, nicky, nicky nicky nine doors, nicky-tam, nicobar islands
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for nickname
British Dictionary definitions for nickname
nickname
/ (ˈnɪkˌneɪm) /
noun
a familiar, pet, or derisory name given to a person, animal, or placehis nickname was Lefty because he was left-handed
a shortened or familiar form of a person's nameJoe is a nickname for Joseph
verb
(tr) to call by a nickname; give a nickname to
Word Origin for nickname
C15 a nekename, mistaken division of an ekename an additional name, from eke addition + name
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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