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.
Nix was shaking her head and appeared to be mouthing words while he spoke to her.
From BBC • Jun. 19, 2026
During a 2022 police interview, Nix gave a version of events that differed "significantly" from her original statement from the time, having not been told that investigators had found it, the Metropolitan Police said.
From BBC • Jun. 19, 2026
Appeared in the June 16, 2026, print edition as 'Notable & Quotable: Nix on X'.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 15, 2026
Jurors heard that on 6 June 1978, Nix was "furious" after Andrea ignored instructions not to leave the house and to help clean instead.
From BBC • May 26, 2026
Nix that, I thought, and was about to knock on the third door, when suddenly it opened and there stood a middle-aged lady in a golfing skirt.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
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.
