Definition of niche
1a : a recess in a wall especially for a statueb : something (such as a sheltered or private space) that resembles a recess in a wall
2a : a place, employment, status, or activity for which a person or thing is best fitted finally found her nicheb : a habitat supplying the factors necessary for the existence of an organism or speciesc : the ecological role of an organism in a community especially in regard to food consumptiond : a specialized market
From the M-W Editors
Examples of niche in a Sentence
To succeed in this new world, you have to sell yourself. You go to a brand-name college, not to imbibe the wisdom of its professors, but to make impressions and connections. You pick a niche that can bring attention to yourself and then develop your personal public relations efforts to let the world know who you are. —Alan Wolfe, New York Times Book Review, 7 Jan. 2001
The ivory-billed woodpecker, wan ghost of southern woodlands, may actually be flying forth from its niche in extinction. —Frank Graham, Jr., Audubon, May/June 2000
Creatures in the genus Rickettsia occupy a niche between bacteria and viruses. They carry much of their own cellular equipment and are vulnerable to antibiotics, but like viruses they need to invade living cells in order to grow. —Wayne Biddle, A Field Guide to Germs, 1995
No, a safe and humble backbencher's niche in the Senate was the inheritance of a Julius these days. —Colleen McCullough, The First Man in Rome, 1990
A dozen or so fey young monks in saffron robes and shaven heads wafted from quiet niche to niche begging alms and looking very flesh-bound to my jaded eyes. —Arthur Miller, Timebends, 1987
I found a niche for myself after high school.
She finally found her niche as a teacher.
the species that fill an environmental niche
How do you pronounce niche? Is it \NEESH\ or \NICH\?
There is a debate about how you are supposed to pronounce niche. There are two common pronunciation variants, both of which are currently considered correct: \NEESH\ (rhymes with sheesh) and \NICH\ (rhymes with pitch). \NICH\ is the more common one and the older of the two pronunciations. It is the only pronunciation given for the word in all English dictionaries until the 20th century, when \NEESH\ was first listed as a pronunciation variant in Daniel Jones's English Pronouncing Dictionary (1917). \NEESH\ wasn’t listed as a pronunciation in our dictionaries until our 1961 Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged, and it wasn’t entered into our smaller Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary until 1993. Even then, it was marked in the Collegiate as a pronunciation that was in educated use but not considered acceptable until 2003.
All this is to say that the historical pronunciation has been \NICH\, and that \NEESH\ is a relative newcomer that came about likely under influence from French pronunciation conventions. At this point in time in the U.S., \NICH\ is still the more common pronunciation, but \NEESH\ is gaining ground. Our evidence suggests that in British English, \NEESH\ is now the more common pronunciation.
Illustration of niche
Origin and Etymology of niche
French, from Middle French, from nicher to nest, from Vulgar Latin *nidicare, from Latin nidus nest — more at nest
First Known Use: 1610
Other Ecology Terms
Examples of niche in a Sentence
The most moving of all the museums in Russia, right now, is also the smallest and the most unlikely. Niched with no fuss whatever in what was a communal apartment high in the annex of the former Sheremetyev Palace in St. Petersburg, it is devoted to a great Russian poet, Anna Akhmatova (1889-1966). —John Russell, New York Times Book Review, 1 Jan. 1995
Origin and Etymology of niche
see 1niche
First Known Use: 1753
NICHE Defined for English Language Learners
niche
playDefinition of niche for English Language Learners
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: a job, activity, etc., that is very suitable for someone
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: the situation in which a business's products or services can succeed by being sold to a particular kind or group of people
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: an environment that has all the things that a particular plant or animal needs in order to live
NICHE Defined for Kids
niche
playDefinition of niche for Students
1 : an open hollow space in a wall (as for a statue)
2 : a place, job, or use for which a person or a thing is best fitted She found her niche in teaching.
Medical Dictionary
Learn More about niche
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for niche Spanish Central: Translation of niche Nglish: Translation of niche for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of niche for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about niche
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