Synonyms of nick

nick 1 of 2

noun

ˈnik 

1

as in chip

a V-shaped cut usually on an edge or a surface

I made a nick in the frame when I accidentally dropped it

Synonyms & Similar Words

• chip
• slit
• hack
• groove
• slot
• indent
• indentation
• punch
• notch
• kerf
• indenture
• nock
• score
• snip
• undercut
• joggle

2

as in jail

British slang a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody

the blokes at the pub traded stories of nights spent in the nick after having lifted too many pints

Synonyms & Similar Words

• jail
• prison
• penitentiary
• brig
• bastille
• pen
• pokey
• slammer
• stockade
• lockup
• hock
• bridewell
• calaboose
• big house
• coop
• guardroom
• hoosegow
• jug
• cooler
• jailhouse
• tolbooth
• can
• clink
• cage
• stir
• cell
• joint
• bull pen
• slam
• tank
• quod
• hole
• ward
• hold
• dungeon
• guardhouse
• stalag
• block
• concentration camp
• work camp
• glasshouse
• keep
• prison camp
• labor camp
• oubliette
• reformatory
• gulag
• hulk(s)
• reform school
• training school

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• outside

3

as in shape

British a state of being or fitness

the princess is in excellent nick these days

Synonyms & Similar Words

• shape
• condition
• health
• repair
• form
• order
• estate
• trim
• keeping
• fettle
• kilter
• practice
• phase
• situation
• stage
• pass
• status
• scene
• picture
• standing
• posture
• rank
• footing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• disorder
• disrepair

nick

2 of 2

verb

British slang

1

as in to steal

to take (something) without right and with an intent to keep

that lorry was a piece of rubbish, I don't know why anyone would want to nick it

Synonyms & Similar Words

• steal
• swipe
• rob
• grab
• snitch
• pinch
• pocket
• lift
• snatch
• nip
• rip off
• appropriate
• pilfer
• hook
• filch
• thieve
• misappropriate
• walk off with
• run off with
• make away with
• purloin
• boost
• hijack
• pick
• make off with
• sack
• take
• knock over
• heist
• seize
• loot
• plunder
• rifle
• burglarize
• pillage
• nail
• collar
• grasp
• spirit
• kidnap
• poach
• sponge
• rustle
• shoplift
• shanghai
• abduct
• mooch
• carjack

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• buy
• purchase
• give
• present
• contribute
• hand over
• donate
• bestow

2

as in to arrest

to take or keep under one's control by authority of law

a petty thief who was always getting nicked for picking the pockets of tourists outside Buckingham Palace

Synonyms & Similar Words

• arrest
• seize
• grab
• apprehend
• pinch
• detain
• restrain
• run in
• nail
• jail
• pull in
• snatch
• capture
• catch
• nab
• bust
• collar
• commit
• pick up
• trap
• hook
• snare
• confine
• snap (up)
• land
• imprison
• incarcerate
• get
• bag
• grapple
• bind
• intern
• lock (up)
• hold
• jug
• handcuff
• immure
• shackle
• manacle
• trammel
• fetter
• remand
• enchain
• rearrest

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• discharge
• release
• free
• loose
• spring
• liberate
• loosen
• emancipate
• unbind
• unchain

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of nick

Noun

His hard hat bears months of nicks and scrapes, testament to the massive transformation underway in the 25,000-square-foot former food court at the Shops at Rivercenter mall in downtown San Antonio. —Paul Stephen, San Antonio Express-News, 21 Jan. 2026

Using the smaller end-grain wood pieces makes your butcher block harder to nick (which matters not just for aesthetics but bacteria), and easier on your favorite knife. —Scott Gilbertson Matthew Korfhage, Wired News, 9 Dec. 2025

Verb

That means a ball that nicks a sliver of the plate at the front and then dives into the dirt will not be called a strike by ABS. —Encyclopedia Britannica, 18 Mar. 2026

One pitch nicked the top of the zone. —Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Mar. 2026

Phrases Containing nick

• Old Nick