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

David, whose activism has earned him the nickname "Commander", became politically active in the mid-2000s after learning about the FCT's unique constitutional status.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

His Fort Worth restaurant—named for his nickname, Chalio—features murals that reflect that family history.

From Salon • Mar. 31, 2026

Ships using this route must pay a substantial fee, according to maritime data company Lloyd's List Intelligence, which invented its nickname.

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

Archie Bunker created his own lexicon and made the nickname “Meathead” as common as Bob.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

Mrs. Kluck—I decide to use the nickname, although I would never say it in front of Mama—bustles into the kitchen to make a pot of coffee.

From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan

Related Words

• epithet
• moniker
• sobriquet
• style
• tag