nickname
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.
to give a nickname to (a person, town, etc.); call by a nickname.
Archaic. to call by an incorrect or improper name; misname.
Origin of nickname
1Other words from nickname
- nicknamer, noun
- un·nick·named, adjective
Words Nearby nickname
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use nickname in a sentence
India is known as “the pharmacy of the world,” and the nickname is well-deserved.
More than manufacturing: India’s homegrown COVID vaccines could transform its pharma industry | Naomi Xu Elegant | September 6, 2020 | FortuneI would tell people that my name was Tammy, which is funny, because while they actually gave me that nickname in not such a flattering way, but I hated that I had a boy’s name, but now it makes me different and so I love it.
This, of course, is applicable for Gear Moms and nonparents, too—I just invented this hack, and Gear Dad is my nickname at the Outside offices.
Some cities like Escondido, Rancho Peñasquitos and Santee have derogatory or naughty nicknames, but “Border City” is not – and has not ever been – a thing.
Politics Report: A Poll and a Court Ruling in Key Council Race | Scott Lewis | August 22, 2020 | Voice of San DiegoShe gives Charlie not only a gorgeous sweater and other swag but the inimitable nicknames “cockring” and “stepson.”
Her style, much like her diminutive nickname, is best described as “Hamptons twee”—preppy and peppy.
How Taryn Toomey’s ‘The Class’ Became New York’s Latest Fitness Craze | Lizzie Crocker | January 9, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTMy nickname was Captain, though I was a private, first class.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile | Robert Ward | January 3, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTAll would attest to the manifest goodness that inspired the perfect nickname for the boy who would become a perfect cop.
In Vietnam, Lewis was advisor to a Vietnamese infantry unit, whose nickname for him was “Captain of Many Kilos.”
His nickname, given to him at the Battle of Gettysburg and which he kept for the rest of his life, was Stonewall Jim.
Stonewall Jackson, VMI’s Most Embattled Professor | S. C. Gwynne | November 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThis last appellation was but a nickname of the tribe, which was properly called Wendot or Wyandot.
A correspondent writes to The Times to object to the nickname "Tommies" applied to our soldiers.
His name and his bright past, seen through the prism of whispered gossip, had gained him the nickname of The Admiral.
Tales and Fantasies | Robert Louis StevensonHe was given the nickname of Malagrida, a Portuguese Jesuit who had been executed for conspiracy in 1761.
The Political History of England - Vol. X. | William HuntBut in ordinary families it was quite natural that a nickname applied to the father should become a surname.
Stories That Words Tell Us | Elizabeth O'Neill
British Dictionary definitions for nickname
/ (ˈnɪkˌneɪm) /
a familiar, pet, or derisory name given to a person, animal, or place: his nickname was Lefty because he was left-handed
a shortened or familiar form of a person's name: Joe is a nickname for Joseph
(tr) to call by a nickname; give a nickname to
Origin of nickname
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Browse