nickname

noun nick·name \ ˈnik-ˌnām \

|Updated on: 13 Jun 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

Saffo contacted The Star to say that the story had misspelled Spade's childhood nickname, Katy.

— eric adler, kansascity, "Kate Spade suffered years of mental illness, sister says. Suicide 'not unexpected'," 5 June 2018
During his time with the Panthers, from 1995-97, Poole drove a Jeep with gold rims, a Fort Valley State license plate on the front and his nickname, Total Package, on the back.

— chapel fowler, charlotteobserver, "Former Panther Tyrone Poole says you're like a spider. That can help you hang tough.," 30 May 2018
Parcells, coach of those Giants teams, gave him a nickname: Relentless.

— tim rohan, SI.com, "King‘s Tale: An Oral History of Peter King," 29 May 2018
Scientific Name: Pterois volitans (red lionfish) Unscientific, badass nickname: devil firefish Identification: Lionfish have distinctive brown and white or maroon and white stripes covering the head and body.

— ben lowy, Smithsonian, "The Lionfish Have Invaded, But a Ragtag Army of Divers and Chefs Are Fighting Back," 23 May 2018
The master suite has a 15-foot-wide circular bed bearing the Superman logo, a reference to one Shaq’s nicknames.

— danielle fox, ELLE Decor, "Shaquille O'Neal Is Selling His Orlando Mansion for $28 Million," 18 May 2018
Mountain Brook's unofficial nickname alone (Tiny Kingdom) speaks to the foundational apparatus of social segregation that remains strong in modern-day metro Birmingham.

— joseph goodman, AL.com, "Black basketball families find equality, controversy in Mountain Brook," 1 May 2018
Why would that nickname, familiar to only a handful of gaming fanatics, pop up when his passport was checked?

— brendan i. koerner, WIRED, "The Young and the Reckless," 17 Apr. 2018
The superstar parents typically shield Evie (their daughter's adorable nickname) from paparazzi and media attention, rarely posting any photos showing her face on social media; but cuteness overload got the best of the 37-year-old mom on Wednesday.

— megan decker, Harper's BAZAAR, "Channing and Jenna Dewan Tatum's Daughter Makes a Rare Appearance on Her Mom's Instagram," 8 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

The baby elephant, nicknamed Happy, was trying to reach the wallow for a drink and a swim with his family.

— richie hertzberg, National Geographic, "This Baby Elephant Might Be Feeling 'Awkward'," 7 June 2018
Longtime Alaska residents, nicknamed Sourdoughs, expressed relief to be returning from Outside, as Alaskans call the world beyond their state borders.

— Anchorage Daily News, "A DIY trip through Alaska’s Inside Passage," 26 May 2018
Longtime Alaska residents, nicknamed Sourdoughs, expressed relief to be returning from Outside, as Alaskans call the world beyond their state borders.

— mark adams, New York Times, "A D.I.Y. Trip Through Alaska’s Inside Passage," 21 May 2018
All nine crew members had helped with hurricane recovery efforts as part of the 198th Fighter Squadron, nicknamed the Bucaneros, which flies out of Base Muñiz in the northern coastal city of Carolina, Rivera said.

— NBC News, "Investigators search for cause of deadly WC-130 plane crash in Georgia," 4 May 2018
All nine crew members had helped with hurricane recovery efforts as part of the 198th Fighter Squadron, nicknamed the Bucaneros, which flies out of Base Muniz in the northern coastal city of Carolina, Rivera said.

— CBS News, "Plane crash video shows National Guard C-130 aircraft plunging to ground," 3 May 2018
Despite being nicknamed 'the Brain' (due to his influence on Klopp's Gegenpressing), decisions have been made without him in recent times, and Buvac has even been left out of staff meetings.

— SI.com, "Liverpool Assistant Manager Zeljko Buvac Quits Club Following Bust-Up With Klopp," 30 Apr. 2018
However, the existence of the maybe planet, nicknamed Planet X, is entirely theoretical at this point.

— lisa marie segarra, Fortune, "No, the End of the World Is Not Coming on April 23, 2018," 12 Apr. 2018
In 2016, meltwater seeped into the entrance tunnel of the Global Seed Vault, a subterranean facility in Arctic Norway nicknamed the Doomsday Vault.

— bridget alex, Discover Magazine, "Something Stirs: What Will Happen as Permafrost Thaws?," 15 May 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.