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nickname
[ nik-neym ]
/ ˈnɪkˌneɪm /
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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.
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…
Origin of nickname
OTHER WORDS FROM nickname
nicknamer, nounun·nick·named, adjectiveWords nearby nickname
nickel tetracarbonyl, nickeltype, nicker, Nicklaus, nick-nack, nickname, nickpoint, Nicky, nicky nicky nine doors, nicky-tam, Nicobarese
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use nickname in a sentence
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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