nix
1 Americannoun
verb (used with object)
-
nixes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
nixed,
past participle, past
-
nixing
present participle
adverb
interjection
noun
-
nixes
plural
-
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
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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
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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
On Dec. 5, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s powerful vaccine advisory panel voted to nix the decades-old birth-dose recommendation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 13, 2025
The Latin for snowflake is nix, almost the same as the German for nothing.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
The Board of Regents nixes its requirement to pass a graduation exam.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
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
The fools were properly served, if there are such nixes.
From The Childhood of King Erik Menved An Historical Romance by Bernhard Severin Ingemann
What’s more, I nixed anywhere with high wildfire risk, as well as any property that borders forestland.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Washington played Dr. Preston Burke on “Grey’s Anatomy” in 2005 but was nixed from the medical drama in 2007 after an on-set spat with co-star Patrick Dempsey, a.k.a.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
In 2020, Moreno nixed a trade that would have brought Andy Pages – then a Dodgers prospect, now an All-Star – to the Angels.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
Dave & Buster’s quietly nixed the remaining dates on the Hello Kitty tour shortly after the Irvine party.
From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026
Rishi had considered bringing a long-stemmed flower—he knew this wasn’t a date, so maybe a carnation rather than a rose?—but had nixed it at the last moment.
From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon
Reps for Gaga did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment, but the star — as well as many other musicians and actors — has a history of nixing photographs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
It also led the way in nixing Wi-Fi fees a few years ago at a time when among U.S. airlines, only JetBlue Airways offered it free.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Just a few days earlier, U.S. regulators proposed nixing rules requiring manual brake pedals in autonomous vehicles.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 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
For the next four days it snowed, nixing any chance for a flight.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
