nickname

noun nick·name \ ˈnik-ˌnām \

|Updated on: 21 Aug 2018

Examples: nickname in a Sentence

Editor's Note: History of nickname

Definition of nickname

1 : a usually descriptive name given instead of or in addition to the one belonging to a person, place, or thing

2 : a familiar form of a proper name (as of a person or a city)

See nickname defined for English-language learners

See nickname defined for kids

Examples of nickname in a Sentence

His mother gave him the nickname “Winky” when he was a baby.
Earvin “Magic” Johnson got his nickname from the way he handled a basketball.

Recent Examples of nickname from the Web

And with all the funny stories come interesting titles and nicknames for the cities within.

— ellie rushing, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Florida towns' claims to fame: We're No. 1," 3 July 2018
According to Basketball Reference, one of McGee's nicknames is Big Daddy Wookie.

— the heat index, azcentral, "Los Angeles Lakers surrounding LeBron James with hilarious cast," 2 July 2018
Meghan aside, the Queen is clearly fond of nicknames.

— amanda garrity, Good Housekeeping, "This Is What Meghan Markle Will Call the Queen as the Two Grow Closer," 18 June 2018
Many cats have nicknames, personality types and age estimates listed.

— rachel jones, charlotteobserver, "Want a new kitten? Here's how to get one for free in Charlotte.," 6 July 2018
The summer league consists of nine teams, many which have similar nicknames to major league baseball teams, such as Cubs, Giants, Marlins, Padres, Pirates , Royals , Tigers , among others.

— marvin glassman, Jewish Journal, "Men relive their youth through JCC summer softball league," 3 July 2018
The game suggests, among other things, doing 10 push-ups when somebody cries, 10 jumping jacks every time Jonathan calls someone a nickname, and 10 burpees whenever Antoni talks about food and/or you are attracted to him.

— refinery29.com, "Forget Emotional Workouts — This Queer Eye Game Will Give You An Actual Workout," 16 June 2018
So the decision Tuesday night to retain the nickname, at least in my opinion, wasn’t the end of the world.

— paul daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Paul Daugherty: Anderson Redskins debate lacks sensitivity, mutual understanding," 13 June 2018
The first round of this year’s tournament certainly lived up to its nickname, with multiple games decided on last-minute shots.

— al saracevic, San Francisco Chronicle, "Why March Madness makes everyone a basketball expert," 16 Mar. 2018

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

History of nickname

It might look like nickname is a compound noun formed by adding nick and name together, but the actual history of this word is a bit more complicated. It was formed by metanalysis, or the changing of the division of words based upon how they sound together. In this case, the Middle English word eke, meaning “also” or “in addition,” was joined with name to form ekename—literally, “also-name,” used for a secondary or unofficial name in the late Middle Ages. Over time, an ekename became a nickname presumably because eke had become less familiar as a word. Needless to say, nick in this case doesn’t mean “also” or anything else, it just represents a comfortable and familiar alternative to the word’s original spelling.

Origin and Etymology of nickname

Middle English nekename additional name, alteration (resulting from misdivision of an ekename) of ekename, from eke eke, also + name name

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

nickname Synonyms

Synonyms

alias, byname, cognomen, epithet, handle, moniker (also monicker), sobriquet (also soubriquet), surname;

anonym, nom de guerre, nom de plume, pen name, pseudonym;

nickname

verb

Definition of nickname

transitive verb

1 : misname, miscall

2 : to give a nickname to

—

nicknamer

noun

See nickname defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of nickname from the Web

Enter Daniel DuGoff, who has created an all-gender, available-in-many-sizes, just-shorter-than-four-inches board short under his new label, Hommes Oil Company, cheekily nicknamed HOMOCO.

— anny choi, Vogue, "Hommes Oil Company, a Gas Station Chain Turned Swimwear Brand, Is Out, Proud, and Having a Good Time," 11 July 2018
Everybody got to vote on the hard-core Goodlatte bill and the slightly less draconian compromise proposal — nicknamed Goodlatte II — so that’s all that had to happen, right?

— ed kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "Why the GOP Might Face More Humiliation on Immigration," 2 July 2018
Legend says the Bannockburn, sometimes nicknamed the Flying Dutchman of the Great Lakes, lives on as a ghost ship that has been spotted many times since its disappearance still prowling the water.

— ann zaniewski, Detroit Free Press, "8 undiscovered shipwrecks of the Great Lakes," 22 June 2018
Eddie Jacks: nicknamed for a character on the old TV melodrama Peyton Place—a sinister character, which didn’t fit Ed in the least.

— earl swift, Outside Online, "The Incredible True Story of the Henrietta C.," 20 June 2018
The company’s first two experimental tunnel boring machines, nicknamed Godot and Linestorm, were purchased on the secondary market and have thus far been used in a test tunnel in Hawthorne.

— aarian marshall, WIRED, "Elon Musk’s Boring Company Wins a Big Boring Contract in Chicago," 14 June 2018
Divino, center, who weighs in at 3,700 pounds, is nicknamed ‘El gran jefe’—the big boss.

— oliver griffin, WSJ, "Like Your Steak Aged 36 Months? Try 17 Years," 10 July 2018
Serena walked away a winner against Mladenovic, who is nicknamed Kiki, while Venus left disappointed.

— sandra harwitt, USA TODAY, "Luck on Serena Williams' side at Wimbledon as top seeds falter early," 6 July 2018
Eighteen-year-old Genesis Wilson, an avid gamer who was nicknamed Sega, was spending the night at a friend’s house after playing video games on May 25.

— jewel wicker, Teen Vogue, "18-year-old Shooting Victim Genesis Wilson Killed in an Alleged Case of Mistaken Identity," 6 July 2018

First Known Use of nickname

1536

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

NICKNAME Defined for English Language Learners

nickname

noun

Definition of nickname for English Language Learners

: a name (such as “Moose” or “Lady Bird”) that is different from your real name but is what your family, friends, etc., call you when they are talking to you or about you

nickname

verb

Definition of nickname for English Language Learners

: to give (someone) a name that is not that person's real name : to give a nickname to (someone)

NICKNAME Defined for Kids

nickname

noun nick·name \ ˈnik-ˌnām \

Definition of nickname for Students

1 : a usually descriptive name used in addition to a person's given name

My brother had the nickname “Nosy.”

2 : a familiar form of a proper name

“Bill” and “Willie” are nicknames for “William.”

History for nickname

In the Middle Ages there was an English word ekename that meant “an extra name.” It was made of a word eke that meant “extra part” added to the word name. It started with a vowel, so an was used with this word instead of a. When an ekename was said fast, it sounded a bit like a nekename. As a result, some people thought the word started with n and began to pronounce it nekename. They did not know they were taking n away from an, adding it to ekename, and so making a new word. From this new word came the word nickname that we use now.