nix

1 of 4

verb

nixed; nixing; nixes

transitive verb

US, informal
: to refuse to accept or allow (something) : veto, reject
The court nixed the merger.
Many of Paris's newest hangouts are nixing gilded French style in favor of white walls, psychedelia and menus of tuna carpaccio and Parmesan-arugula salad.Jane Sigal
Prince has cited artistic factors for nixing the reunion.Chris Willman

nix

2 of 4

adverb

: no
used to express disagreement or the withholding of permission
often used with on
they said nix on our plan

nix

3 of 4

noun (1)

: nothing
There's a whole day's work for nix.

nix

4 of 4

noun (2)

: a water sprite of Germanic folklore

Examples of nix in a Sentence

Verb our supervisor nixed my request to work from home, if only on a trial basis movie audiences have effectively nixed the idea of the reviving the old-fashioned western by emphatically ignoring this latest effort
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
But perhaps the biggest problem with Apple’s justification for nixing Epic’s app store is the fact that Sweeney’s criticism of Apple’s rules is something that the Commission effectively solicited. David Meyer, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2024 But that was nixed in favor of a glamorous wedding shoot and a jaunt to Dubai. Taiia Smart Young, Essence, 14 Feb. 2024 Hammer said the district would have to nix 113 teaching positions and at least five assistant principals. Dillon Mullan, Baltimore Sun, 7 Feb. 2024 An entrance to the project near the school was nixed and a windmill was reduced in height from 76 feet to 36 feet with a prohibition on a wind turbine. John Tuohy, The Indianapolis Star, 10 Jan. 2024 The association, numbering about 100 members in the mid-1980s, began a battle against the proposal of a prison project that lasted for six years, holding numerous rallies in L.A. and Sacramento until, in 1992, the plan to build the facility was nixed. Ashley Lee, Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2024 Word on the street is that the company also nixed the MagSafe battery pack from its online store with no replacement. Stack Commerce, Popular Science, 14 Feb. 2024 The free Cuban team says the tournament was nixed under pressure from the Colombian and Cuban governments to keep FEPCUBE from participating. Alanis Thames, USA TODAY, 18 Jan. 2024 The last major rejection under Singapore’s Government Land Sales Programme, in which state land is released for development, was in 2011, when the URA nixed a joint offer from units of UOL Group Ltd. and Singapore Land Group Ltd. for a commercial parcel. Low De Wei, Bloomberg.com, 8 Feb. 2024
Noun
Notorious examples of wasteful spending led Congress to nix earmarks in 2011. Jacob Bogage, Washington Post, 29 Jan. 2024 While many rival firms have committees outside China that approve or nix investments there, Sequoia China has been one of the few with its partners making their own on-the-ground decisions. Lulu Yilun Chen, Bloomberg.com, 6 June 2023 Jackson Browne has recovered from the illness that forced him to nix shows in Melbourne and Sydney. Lars Brandle, Billboard, 20 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nix.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1), Verb, and Adverb

German nichts nothing

Noun (2)

German, from Old High German nihhus; akin to Old English nicor water monster and perhaps to Greek nizein to wash

First Known Use

Verb

circa 1903, in the meaning defined above

Adverb

1862, in the meaning defined above

Noun (1)

1789, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1833, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of nix was in 1789

Dictionary Entries Near nix

Cite this Entry

“Nix.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nix. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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