nickname

[ nik-neym ]

/ ˈnɪkˌneɪm /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR nickname ON THESAURUS.COM

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

1400–50; late Middle English nekename, for ekename (the phrase an ekename being taken as a nekename). See eke², name; cf. newt

OTHER WORDS FROM nickname

nick·nam·er, nounun·nick·named, adjective

Words 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

My nickname was Captain, though I was a private, first class.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
He even allegedly had a nickname for his violent, aggressive alter ego: Rick.
Creed Singer Scott Stapp’s Fall From Grace: From 40 Million Albums Sold to Living in a Holiday Inn|Marlow Stern|November 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Mamoru taunts Usagi by giving her the nickname “dumpling head.”
‘Sailor Moon’ Is an Oasis for Superheroes Who Can Save the Universe in Heels|Rich Goldstein|November 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Her “little bird” may have been The3Pr0, the nickname for the many cybersecurity experts believe is the founder of SEA.
The Kardashian Look-Alike Trolling for Assad|Noah Shachtman, Michael Kennedy|October 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
You may call it sentimentality or any other nickname you like.
The Woman in Black|Edmund Clerihew Bentley
His open hands had won for this remarkable tenor the nickname, Cinque e cinque fanno dieci!
My Recollections|Jules Massenet
"Scissors" Dempsey had come by his nickname because of a peculiar trick he had of keeping his knees stiff when walking.
The Banner Boy Scouts|George A. Warren
He grew widely known in the neighborhood under his nickname.
The Lock And Key Library|Various
Morshead may be the nickname of mine host of the Saracen's Head or may mean the end of the moor.
The Romance of Names|Ernest Weekley

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

nickname

noun

verb (used with object), nick·named, nick·nam·ing.

QUIZZES

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PUNCTUATION QUIZ

Origin of nickname

OTHER WORDS FROM nickname

Words nearby nickname

Words related to nickname

Example sentences from the Web for nickname

British Dictionary definitions for nickname

noun

verb

Word Origin for nickname