Nazi

noun

Na·​zi ˈnät-sē  ˈnat- 

1

: a member of a German fascist party controlling Germany from 1933 to 1945 under Adolf Hitler

2

often not capitalized

a

: one who espouses the beliefs and policies of the German Nazis : fascist

b

: one who is likened to a German Nazi : a harshly domineering, dictatorial, or intolerant person

a grammar nazi

nazi adjective often capitalized

nazification

ˌnät-si-fə-ˈkā-shən 

ˌnat-

noun often capitalized

nazify

ˈnät-si-ˌfī 

ˈnat-

transitive verb often capitalized

Examples of Nazi in a Sentence

a gang of racist Nazis

Recent Examples on the Web

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during a ceremony in Jerusalem on January 23, 2020 commemorating the people of Leningrad during the Second World War Nazi siege on the city. —Josephine Rozzelle, CNBC, 15 Aug. 2025

Considerable research by historians has found that some Polish individuals and groups did collaborate with the Nazi occupiers. —George Ramsay, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2025

The individual, whose face was blurred, was making what appeared to be a Nazi salute with his arm. —Julie Hinds, Freep.com, 15 Aug. 2025

Makela fears the outcome could mirror the 1938 Munich Agreement, when Nazi Germany seized part of Czechoslovakia with promises not to take more — promises later broken. —Teri Schultz, NPR, 13 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

German, by shortening & alteration from Nationalsozialist, from national national + Sozialist socialist

First Known Use

1930, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing Nazi

• anti-Nazi
• neo-Nazi

Kids Definition

Nazi

noun

Na·​zi ˈnät-sē  ˈnat- 

: a member of a German fascist party controlling Germany from 1933 to 1945

Nazi adjective

Nazism

ˈnät-ˌsiz-əm

ˈnat-

noun