Definition of NICHE

How do you pronounce niche? Is it \NEESH\ or \NICH\?

Noun

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.

Examples of niche in a Sentence

Noun

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

Verb

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

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

SamTrans launched a new line of Wi-Fi-equipped accordion shuttles this month, serving a niche market of commuters who travel from Foster City to the Financial District and vice versa. — Taylor Kate Brown, SFChronicle.com, "Bay Briefing: New buses, same highway," 29 Aug. 2019 Banana Republic's move into a rental subscription is part of a broader shift among traditional companies trying to capitalize on rapid growth in the niche market. — Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, "First on CNN Business: Banana Republic joins the clothing rental craze," 16 Aug. 2019 Social media allows members to reach their niche audiences and keep the money flowing. — Mona Charen, National Review, "False Racism Accusations Don’t Excuse the Real Thing," 19 July 2019 Fans of meta mockumentaries interrogating acting and fatherhood aren't the most obvious niche audience to target, but if Netflix is serving them, the audience is probably there. — Emma Grey Ellis, WIRED, "Frankenstein's Monster's Monster, Frankenstein Is a Fun Mess," 16 July 2019 Camper vans are big business in the RV industry, and one of the niche markets that is seeing the most growth is the small camper van sector. — Megan Barber, Curbed, "Modular camper van sleeps a family and fits in a garage," 27 June 2019 Kegs — reusable or recyclable — are a niche market for restaurants. — Dave Mcintyre, Washington Post, "Does your county recycle wine bottles? The answer may surprise you," 14 June 2019 Founded in 2010, iPic carved out an early niche in the film exhibition industry with its high-end in-theater dining concept in which patrons could order food and beverages, including wine and cocktails, from their seats with the push of a button. — Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, "iPic Entertainment, luxury cinema pioneer, files for bankruptcy as rivals move in," 5 Aug. 2019 The phenomenon, known as niche partitioning, implied an equilibrium. — Keith Ladzinski, National Geographic, "The ‘balance of nature’ is an enduring concept. But it’s wrong.," 26 July 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

And many websites cater to niche vacation markets, from hikers to cruisers. — Rob Wile, miamiherald, "Even vacations can be hell for autism families. A new website is here to help. | Miami Herald," 3 May 2018 Christian support for the Aliyah largely began with the collapse of the Soviet Union and has grown in recent years as American Jews have redirected charitable donations to niche causes. — Washington Post, "Christians emerge as key patrons for Jews moving to Israel," 8 Mar. 2018 And many websites cater to niche vacation markets, from hikers to cruisers. — Rob Wile, miamiherald, "Even vacations can be hell for autism families. A new website is here to help. | Miami Herald," 3 May 2018 Christian support for the Aliyah largely began with the collapse of the Soviet Union and has grown in recent years as American Jews have redirected charitable donations to niche causes. — Washington Post, "Christians emerge as key patrons for Jews moving to Israel," 8 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'niche.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.