nickname

American  

[nik-neym] / ˈnɪkˌneɪm /

noun

1. 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.”

2. a familiar form of a proper name, as Jim for James and Peg for Margaret.

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verb (used with object)

nicknamed, nicknaming

1. to give a nickname to (a person, town, etc.); call by a nickname.

2. Archaic. to call by an incorrect or improper name; misname.

nickname British  

/ ˈnɪkˌneɪm /

noun

1. a familiar, pet, or derisory name given to a person, animal, or place

   his nickname was Lefty because he was left-handed

2. a shortened or familiar form of a person's name

   Joe is a nickname for Joseph

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verb

1. (tr) to call by a nickname; give a nickname to

Other Word Forms

• nicknamer noun
• unnicknamed adjective

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; newt

Example Sentences

The 85-pound turtle earned her nickname from aquarium staffers when she quickly began eating after having her flipper amputated, and her enthusiasm for grub hasn’t waned.

From Los Angeles Times

Give the account a nickname, like “Play Money,” to remind yourself that this is the only place you’ll speculate.

From The Wall Street Journal

So why do Cimbom – the enigmatic nickname for Turkey's most successful football club – have such a good record against English teams?

From BBC

Over the years, he’d come to use his nickname as a test to see what kind of people he was dealing with.

From Literature

Sokol earned a reputation for being hard-driving and sometimes difficult, with some nicknaming him “The Great Young God,” a nod to both his intelligence and his ego.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• epithet
• moniker
• sobriquet
• style
• tag