nick

1 of 2

noun

ˈnik 

1

a

: a small notch, groove, or chip

For one thing, formal chairs, beds and tables require greater vigilance on the part of the owners to protect against nicks and spills.

—Sarah Collins

b

: a small cut or wound

got a few nicks from shaving

c

: a break in one strand of two-stranded DNA caused by a missing phosphodiester bond

2

: a final critical moment

in the nick of time

3

British, informal : prison

also : police station

… he said to me, "And how was it in the nick? Did they beat you in there at all?"

—Colin MacInnes

4

British, informal : condition

in good nick

nick

2 of 2

verb

nicked; nicking; nicks

transitive verb

1

: to jot down : record

2

a

: to make a nick in : notch, chip

… her favorite haunts are … department stores where she scores deep discounts on nicked furniture sold off the floor.

—Heather Lobdell

b

: to cut into or wound slightly

nicked himself shaving

I didn't have time to get my glove up, and the ball nicked my ear as it went past me.

—Steve Wulf

3

: to cut short

cold weather, which nicked steel and automobile output

—Time

4

: to catch at the right point or time

5

: cheat, overcharge

"A cry of anguish ascended to high heavens," reported Business Week in 1933, "when millions of white-collar workers discovered that they had been nicked for a considerable percentage of their earnings when J. P. Morgan and partners had paid no income tax at all."

—Cynthia Crossen

6

a

British slang : arrest

The new owner, my brother, had installed all the window grilles and had them wired on a direct alarm to the police station so that if anyone tried to enter that way they would be nicked.

—Dick Francis

b

British slang : steal

To discover at the last moment that 24 cases of Schweppes had been nicked from the cellar was a horrible shock.

—Sunday Times

intransitive verb

1

: to make petty attacks : snipe

2

: to complement one another genetically and produce superior offspring

Synonyms

Noun

• chip
• hack
• indent
• indentation
• indenture
• kerf
• notch

Verb

• appropriate
• boost [slang]
• filch
• heist
• hook
• lift
• misappropriate
• nip
• pilfer
• pinch
• pocket
• purloin
• rip off
• snitch
• steal
• swipe
• thieve

Examples of nick in a Sentence

Noun

There are a couple of nicks on the painting.

His face was covered with nicks and cuts after shaving.

She spent a night in the nick.

an economy in bad nick

Verb

He was nicked on the shoulder by a bullet.

She was nicked for the theft.

I nicked a couple of cars when I was younger.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Mila cuts her blouse and makes a tiny nick in the lace of Lily’s dress—and with the rend grief spills out. —David Bezmozgis, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2025

Items that are in salvageable nick—some unbroken Christmas ornaments, a book someone decided wasn’t worth keeping, a toaster that’s easily repaired—are set aside for the little on-site shop. —Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 4 Apr. 2025

Verb

The Mountaineers need to make sure Javon Small is fully healthy, after the star guard got nicked up in the loss to the Cougars on Tuesday night. —Jim Root, The Athletic, 13 Feb. 2025

Which was fully reinforced Sunday afternoon at Steinbrenner Field after the score was tied 2-2 in the sixth thanks to a first-inning homer by Brandon Lowe and a strong start by Taj Bradley, who got nicked for solo runs in the fifth and sixth. —Marc Topkin, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English nyke, probably alteration of nocke nock

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2a

Phrases Containing nick

• in bad nick
• in good nick
• in the nick of time
• the nick

Rhymes for nick

• bick
• brick
• chick
• click
• fick
• flick
• hick
• kick
• knick
• lick
• mic
• pic

Kids Definition

nick

1 of 2 noun

ˈnik 

1

: a small groove : notch

2

: chip entry 1 sense 4

a nick in a cup

3

: the last moment at which the result of an event can be changed

arrived in the nick of time

nick

2 of 2 verb

1

: to make a nick in

2

: to wound or cut slightly

nicked himself shaving

Medical Definition

nick

1 of 2 noun

ˈnik 

: a break in one strand of two-stranded DNA caused by a missing phosphodiester bond

nick

2 of 2 transitive verb

: to produce a nick in (DNA)

circular DNA that has been nicked and closed