nickname
Americannoun
-
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)
-
to give a nickname to (a person, town, etc.); call by a nickname.
-
Archaic. to call by an incorrect or improper name; misname.
noun
-
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
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
has nicknamedperfect 3rd person singular
-
have nicknamedperfect
-
am nicknamingprogressive 1st person singular
-
are nicknamingprogressive
-
has been nicknamingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
-
nicknamessingular 3rd person
-
have been nicknamingperfect progressive
-
is nicknamingprogressive 3rd person singular
-
nicknamingparticiple
Past
-
had nicknamedperfect
-
were nicknamingprogressive plural
-
was nicknamingprogressive singular
-
had been nicknamingperfect progressive
-
nicknamedsimple
-
nicknamedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of nickname
1400–50; late Middle English nekename, for ekename (the phrase an ekename being taken as a nekename ). See eke 2, name; cf. newt
Explanation
Your special, fond name for your cousin is a nickname. If his name is Steven, his nickname might be Steve — or it might very well be "Stinky" or "Junior." Nicknames can be shortened forms of first names or surnames; affectionate pet names; or names that tease or ridicule their recipient. If your name is David, but your friends call you "Dave," that's your nickname. If your sweetheart calls you "Honey," that's also a nickname. And if your coworkers call you "Skinny," there's your third nickname. Before the fifteenth century, the word was ekename, "an additional name," from the Old English eaca, "an increase."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That included “Dumbo” — South Korea’s In Gee Chun — who got that nickname years ago because of her exceptionally keen hearing.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026
Other recorded conversations mention "The One", a nickname which Civil Guard investigators believe refers to Sanchez himself.
From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026
Aswath Damodaran, the New York University finance professor with the nickname the “dean of valuation,” had estimated, before getting a look at the prospectus, that SpaceX was worth $1.2 trillion.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 5, 2026
Shi took office there as abbot in 1999, soon earning the nickname "CEO monk" for transforming the institution into a global brand.
From BBC • May 29, 2026
She thinks my nickname is silly, and that since my parents named me Laveau, that is the name I need to be addressed by.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
