nix
1 Americannoun
verb (used with object)
adverb
interjection
noun
-
another word for no 1
-
be careful! watch out!
noun
-
a rejection or refusal
-
nothing at all
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
nixsimple
-
nixessimple
-
have nixedperfect
-
has nixedperfect
-
am nixingprogressive
-
are nixingprogressive
-
is nixingprogressive
-
have been nixingperfect progressive
-
has been nixingperfect progressive
Past
-
nixedsimple
-
had nixedperfect
-
was nixingprogressive
-
were nixingprogressive
-
had been nixingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of nix1
First recorded in 1780–90; from German, variant of nichts “nothing”
Origin of nix2
1825–35; < German Nix, Old High German nihhus; cognate with Old English nicor water monster, Old Norse nykr, Norwegian nøkk, Swedish näck; compare Sanskrit nenekti (he) washes
Explanation
If you nix something, you cancel or veto it. You might nix your little sister's plan to build a fire pit in the middle of the front yard. In North America, to nix something is to forbid or put an end to it. Your aunt might nix your idea about a surprise party for your uncle, knowing he would hate it, and a babysitter might nix her charges' plan to stay up all night watching movies. Another, less formal meaning of nix is "nothing." This is also the oldest meaning of the word, from the German nichts, also "nothing," and pronounced in much the same way.
Vocabulary lists containing nix
Essential Three-Letter Words, Part 4
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Far from the Tree
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Frankly in Love
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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.
See Examples For:
Lawyers for the companies have already vowed to appeal, insisting that they can persuade higher courts to nix these awards as a misapplication of the law.
From Slate ● Mar. 30, 2026
Will he bow to US pressure to nix a project to link China and Chile across the Pacific via an undersea fiber optic cable?
From Barron's ● Mar. 12, 2026
Think of travel insurance in two parts: There’s trip-cancellation insurance, which, as the name implies, offers protection in case you need to nix a trip before the fact — say, for medical reasons.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 3, 2026
Culver City, west of downtown Los Angeles, passed a single-stair ordinance last year to nix the second-stair requirement in certain apartment buildings up to six stories.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 2026
The Latin for snowflake is nix, almost the same as the German for nothing.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Of course, none of this nixes his laughable lowlights, nor his misplaced you’ll see defiance.
From Seattle Times ● May 31, 2024
The Gap nixes Exchange Act derivative claims via forum selection - 9th Circ.
From Reuters ● Jun. 1, 2023
For years, the Ethereum network has planned — and delayed — a move from proof of work to a different process called proof of stake that nixes puzzle-solving.
From The Verge ● Mar. 14, 2022
That nixes “Joker,” “The Irishman” and “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood,” as films set in the 1960s and ’70s haven’t scored here since … well, the 1960s and ’70s.
From New York Times ● Feb. 6, 2020
It gave people something to do, and one had not time to lie dreaming about nixes and enchanted princesses.
From The Childhood of King Erik Menved An Historical Romance by Ingemann, Bernhard Severin
The Iranian team's participation had been clouded by the hostilities, and an original plan to base their training camp in Arizona was nixed in favor of a location in Tijuana, just over the Mexican border.
From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026
Assuming that neither company nixed the agreement, Anthropic could pay SpaceX up to $45 billion over three years.
From MarketWatch ● May 28, 2026
He nixed the first vehicle the California team was developing, an SUV-type model.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 5, 2026
Though the entire season had been taped, ABC nixed the premiere, and “Secret Lives” also paused production.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 6, 2026
Grace nixed one family because their toddler looked like a biter, and another because they hadn’t ever traveled east of Colorado.
From "Far from the Tree" by Robin Benway
Just a few days earlier, U.S. regulators proposed nixing rules requiring manual brake pedals in autonomous vehicles.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
After nixing a blockbuster with the Las Vegas Raiders, the Baltimore Ravens sprang into action and landed one of the biggest stars available in free agency instead.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 12, 2026
Kennedy, decided earlier this month, Justices Carlos Samour and Richard Gabriel “specially concurred” to advocate nixing the per se grave or serious shortcut.
From Slate ● Dec. 29, 2025
And at the time, the city manager warned against nixing the contract in a bid to maintain a good relationship with federal authorities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2025
For the next four days it snowed, nixing any chance for a flight.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
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.
