niche

noun

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\ ˈnich

also ˈnēsh or ˈnish

Definition of niche

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : a recess in a wall especially for a statue

b : 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 niche

b : a habitat supplying the factors necessary for the existence of an organism or species

c : the ecological role of an organism in a community especially in regard to food consumption

d : a specialized market

niche

verb

\ ˈnich also ˈnēsh or ˈnish

niched; niching

Definition of niche (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to place in or as if in a niche (see niche entry 1)

Synonyms How do you pronounce niche? Is it \NEESH\ or \NICH\? More Example Sentences Learn More about niche

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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 The reserve quarterback carved out a niche on Oregon’s special teams with tackles on kickoff coverage in each of the final two games, but was targeted by USC on an onside kick attempt aimed at him during the Pac-12 Championship game. — oregonlive, "Oregon Ducks can’t get out of their own way on pair special teams blunders in Fiesta Bowl loss," 2 Jan. 2021 But the company has carved out a niche amid Ford's crowded pony-car lineup. — Jonathon Ramsey, Car and Driver, "Tested: BFP 2019 Ford Mustang GT Delivers Budget Performance," 23 Dec. 2020 Wish has carved a niche for itself in the competitive world of e-commerce as a discount online store where some items sell for less than a dollar and more expensive items might go for as much as $10. — Shwanika Narayan, SFChronicle.com, "The biggest e-commerce business you’ve never heard of is from S.F. and worth $17 billion," 15 Dec. 2020 Genre filmmaker Christopher Landon has carved out a niche for himself in the past couple of years. — Katie Walsh, chicagotribune.com, "‘Freaky’ review: Vince Vaughn is a revelation in gender-bending, body-swapping horror outing," 11 Nov. 2020 Genre filmmaker Christopher Landon has carved out a niche for himself in the past couple of years. — Tribune News Service, cleveland, "Vince Vaughn is a revelation in gender-bending, body-swapping ‘Freaky’," 11 Nov. 2020 While a vast majority of businesses primarily use Windows computers, Apple devices have carved out a niche with certain enterprises. — Mike Freeman, San Diego Union-Tribune, "San Diego’s Kandji raises $21 million for software that manages Apple devices in the workplace," 4 Nov. 2020 VanwaTech is based in Washington state and headed by a young man named Nick Lim, who has carved a niche for his small company: hosting the worst parts of the Internet. — Rita Katz, Wired, "What's Worse Than Foreign Election Interference? QAnon," 30 Oct. 2020 Dean Kaplan of the Kaplan Group in California has carved out a niche working to collect large commercial debts. — Michael Taylor, ExpressNews.com, "Taylor: A sneak peek of my new Netflix series ‘The Walking Debt’," 7 Oct. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Critics site the powerful micro-targeting capabilities of tech platforms — which allow ads to be tailored to niche audiences and interest groups — as being susceptible to abuse, particularly when spreading false or misleading claims. — NBC News, "Twitter to stop accepting political ads," 30 Oct. 2019 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.