nick.
A small cut in a surface.
Meaning & usage
A small cut in a surface. A particular place or point considered as marked by a nick; the exact point or critical moment.
in the nick of time
A small cut in a surface. A notch cut crosswise in the shank of a type, to assist a compositor in placing it properly in the stick, and in distribution.
Senses connoting something small. A small deflection of the ball off the edge of the bat, often going to the wicket-keeper for a catch.
Senses connoting something small. One of the single-stranded DNA segments produced during nick translation.
Senses connoting something small. The point where the wall of the court meets the floor.
Often in the expressions in bad nick and in good nick: condition, state.
The car I bought was cheap and in good nick.
A police station or prison.
He was arrested and taken down to Sun Hill nick [police station] to be charged.
He’s just been released from Shadwell nick [prison] after doing ten years for attempted murder.
Where this word comes from
The noun is derived from Late Middle English nik (“notch, tally; nock of an arrow”). Its further etymology is unknown; a connection with nock (“notch in a bow to hold the bowstring; notch at the rear of an arrow that fits the bowstring; cleft in the buttocks”) has not been clearly established. The verb appears to be derived from the noun, though the available evidence shows that some of the verb senses predate the noun senses. No connection with words in Germanic languages such as Danish nikke (“to nod”), Middle Dutch nicken (“to bend; to bow”) (modern Dutch knikken (“to nod”)), Middle Low German nicken (“to bend over; to sink”), Middle High German nicken (“to bend; to depress”) (modern German nicken (“to nod”)), Middle Low German knicken (“to bend; to snap”) (modern German knicken (“to bend; to break”), Old Frisian hnekka (“to nod”), and Swedish nicka (“to nod”), has been clearly established.
To make a nick or notch in; to cut or scratch in a minor way.
I nicked myself while I was shaving.
To make a nick or notch in; to cut or scratch in a minor way. To make ragged or uneven, as by cutting nicks or notches in; to deface, to mar.
To make a nick or notch in; to cut or scratch in a minor way. To make a crosscut or cuts on the underside of (the tail of a horse, in order to make the animal carry it higher).
To fit into or suit, as by a correspondence of nicks; to tally with.
To fit into or suit, as by a correspondence of nicks; to tally with. To hit at, or in, the nick; to touch rightly; to strike at the precise point or time.
To fit into or suit, as by a correspondence of nicks; to tally with. To hit the ball with the edge of the bat and produce a fine deflection.
To fit into or suit, as by a correspondence of nicks; to tally with. To throw or turn up (a number when playing dice); to hit upon.
To make a cut at the side of the face.
To steal.
Someone’s nicked my bike!
To arrest.
The police nicked him climbing over the fence of the house he’d broken into.
Where this word comes from
The noun is derived from Late Middle English nik (“notch, tally; nock of an arrow”). Its further etymology is unknown; a connection with nock (“notch in a bow to hold the bowstring; notch at the rear of an arrow that fits the bowstring; cleft in the buttocks”) has not been clearly established. The verb appears to be derived from the noun, though the available evidence shows that some of the verb senses predate the noun senses. No connection with words in Germanic languages such as Danish nikke (“to nod”), Middle Dutch nicken (“to bend; to bow”) (modern Dutch knikken (“to nod”)), Middle Low German nicken (“to bend over; to sink”), Middle High German nicken (“to bend; to depress”) (modern German nicken (“to nod”)), Middle Low German knicken (“to bend; to snap”) (modern German knicken (“to bend; to break”), Old Frisian hnekka (“to nod”), and Swedish nicka (“to nod”), has been clearly established.
To give or call (someone) by a nickname; to style.
Where this word comes from
Clipping of nickname.
A nix or nixie (“water spirit”).
Where this word comes from
A variant of nix or nixie.
Clipping of nickname.
a user’s reserved nick on an IRC network
Where this word comes from
Clipping of nickname.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.