jinx

1 of 2

noun

: one that brings bad luck
also : the state or spell of bad luck brought on by a jinx

jinx

2 of 2

verb

jinxed; jinxing; jinxes

transitive verb

: to foredoom to failure or misfortune : bring bad luck to

Examples of jinx in a Sentence

Noun That guy is a jinx. He felt like he'd finally broken the jinx. She threatened to put a jinx on him. Verb I thought they were going to win but I didn't say so because I didn't want to jinx them. His luck has been so bad he feels jinxed.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Harry Kane can rest assured that his jinx is unlikely to last longer than a season though, history shows us that Bayern Munich rarely fails for long. Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2024 Talk with the Clippers about their strong start and the tone can take on a baseball dugout protecting against the jinx of a no-hitter. Andrew Greif, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2024 The entire Home Run Derby jinx is urban legend, with no facts to back it up. Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2023 As for the jinx factor: The No. 1 player in the world has not won the US Open since Woods in 2008. Jim Hoban, BostonGlobe.com, 14 June 2023 There are others to follow, who will go unnamed here, mostly out of good manners but also to avoid the outside chance of a jinx. John Williams, Washington Post, 14 June 2023 The Leafs finally had shaken the 54-year Bruins jinx. Kevin Paul Dupont, BostonGlobe.com, 6 Apr. 2023 Cunningham attended those games, too, and in the tradition of sports fans everywhere, began to wonder about a jinx. John Wilkens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Mar. 2023 But for the Bulls — eager to both shake off the Embiid jinx and build comfort in the Eastern Conference standings — all that mattered was the final score. Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 20 Mar. 2023
Verb
To publicly acknowledge the cleanse would have been to jinx it, not to mention an example of the kind of self-aggrandizement that social media encourages. Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2024 Tag-along reporter jinxes top fisherman One of his favorite spots is along the Wabash River. The Indianapolis Star, 12 July 2023 Reynolds and McElhenney announced those shows on social media on Feb. 28, but in an effort to not jinx anything involving the team, the latter date was not declared as the official celebration until yesterday (May 8). Jonathan Cohen, SPIN, 9 May 2023 Among Canal Street proprietors, there is a prevailing sentiment: Don’t jinx it. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Apr. 2023 Grant instead heard whispers from teammates and got a couple of exclamatory high fives, but there was no jinxing him. Stephen Borelli, USA TODAY, 31 Mar. 2023 Don't jinx yourself. Dalton Ross, EW.com, 3 Aug. 2022 Don’t want to jinx them). Clayton Davis, Variety, 26 Jan. 2022 They’re locked in, and no one wants to jinx it. Dallas News, 12 Apr. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'jinx.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

perhaps alteration of jynx wryneck; from the use of wrynecks in witchcraft

First Known Use

Noun

1902, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1913, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of jinx was in 1902

Dictionary Entries Near jinx

Cite this Entry

“Jinx.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jinx. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

jinx

1 of 2 noun
: someone or something that brings bad luck

jinx

2 of 2 verb
: to bring bad luck to

More from Merriam-Webster on jinx

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!