nix

¹ American  

[niks] / nɪks /

noun

1. nothing.

---

verb (used with object)

1. to veto; refuse to agree to; prohibit.

   The VP of Publishing nixed the project.

adverb

1. no.

interjection

1. Archaic. (used as an exclamation, especially of warning).

   Nix, the cops!

nix ² American  

[niks] / nɪks /

noun

plural

nixes

1. (in Germanic folklore) a water spirit that draws its victims into its underwater home.

---

nix ¹ British  

/ nɪks /

1. another word for no 1

2. be careful! watch out!

---

noun

1. a rejection or refusal

2. nothing at all

verb

1. (tr) to veto, deny, reject, or forbid (plans, suggestions, etc)

nix ² British  

/ nɪks /

noun

1. German myth a male water sprite, usually unfriendly to humans

---

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.

Example Sentences

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

If regulators nix the rail merger, supply-chain inefficiency will persist.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 5, 2026

It could nix a corporate merger or attempt to overturn the denial of a merger.

From Slate • May 14, 2025

The Latin for snowflake is nix, almost the same as the German for nothing.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton