nick

noun

\ ˈnik

Definition of nick

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : 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

verb

nicked; nicking; nicks

Definition of nick (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to jot down : record

2a : 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

6a slang, British : 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 slang, British : 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 More Example Sentences Learn More about nick

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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

News broke that David Luiz had agreed to join Arsenal - and somehow the shock deal was completed in the nick of time. — SI.com, "Revealed: The Kit Numbers David Luiz, Alex Iwobi, Romelu Lukaku & More Will Wear at Their New Clubs," 10 Aug. 2019 Castro had planned to soldier on in the contest even if the CNN poll hadn’t arrived in the nick of time, according to his campaign. — Bill Lambrecht, ExpressNews.com, "Attacks on racism and Trump resonate for Texans Beto O’Rourke and Julián Castro," 20 Aug. 2019 Kinnickinnic River, Street, State Park Kih-nih-kih-neck... but also Kin-NEY-kuh-nick... but also Kih-nih-KIH-neck It's affectionately called KK by locals. — Jack Mccordick, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "17 words only a true Wisconsinite knows how to pronounce," 19 June 2019 Hide Scratches in Wood Most pieces of dark wood furniture accumulate their fair share of nicks, chips, and scratches over the years. — Heidi Davis, Popular Mechanics, "10 Things You Didn't Know You Could Do With Coffee," 29 Sep. 2014 My inbox is a wasteland of free trials canceled just in the nick of time. — Bijan Stephen, The Verge, "Plex makes piracy just another streaming service," 23 July 2019 And then, just in the nick of time, Armstrong set the lander down and shut off its engine. — William Harwood, CBS News, "The inside story of Apollo 11's nail-biting descent to the surface of the moon," 15 July 2019 The beauty of this blade is the diamondlike coating, which actually allows it to get closer to your skin with fewer nicks. — Deanna Pai, Glamour, "How to Shave Your Legs Perfectly," 30 June 2019 The justices even agreed to a faster briefing and argument schedule to get the case heard and decided in the nick of time. — S.m. | New York, The Economist, "The Trump administration scrambles to add citizenship to the census," 9 July 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The blue heritage placard sits high up on the wall so that no souvenir-hunter can nick the marker of the abode where the nude cover photo for Lennon’s first solo album Two Virgins (1968) was made. — National Geographic, "The ultimate itinerary for Beatles fans," 29 July 2019 Lane is quickly overwhelmed by the home’s issues: a sole, rusted faucet nicks her but doesn’t spout water; bugs are everywhere; plaster and roof and load-bearing pieces of infrastructure are falling apart. — Jacqueline Kantor, Curbed, "Beginning again when a home falls apart," 8 Aug. 2019 Houston nicked Lambert for another run in the third on Gurriel’s sacrifice fly, making it 5-1. — Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, "Astros obliterate Rockies to cap two-game series sweep as rookie Peter Lambert undergoes further growing pains," 7 Aug. 2019 Jordan Thomas is nicked up now, but should have a significant role. — Albert Breer, SI.com, "Five Observations From Texans Training Camp," 1 Aug. 2019 The ground force commander, Clark was shot in the chest, the bullet nicking his heart, collapsing his lungs and ripping his liver in half. — Sig Christenson, ExpressNews.com, "San Antonio airman’s quick thinking saved 3 in ambush," 18 July 2019 Quad bikes, which farmers use to get around their estates, are easy to nick. — The Economist, "From fly-tipping to sheep rustling, Britain’s cops crack down on rural crime," 25 July 2019 Hide the wrinkle, disguise the blemish, but keep nicking boundaries and never waver. — Jeffrey Fleishman, chicagotribune.com, "Kathy Griffin made $75 million making people laugh. But the phone’s not ringing," 22 July 2019 Hide the wrinkle, disguise the blemish, but keep nicking boundaries and never waver. — Los Angeles Times, "Kathy Griffin fell from the D-list to the S-list. She’s clawing her way back," 18 July 2019

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