1
as in stole
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in arrested
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of nicked
Atlanta returns from its bye week still nicked up in the secondary, with cornerback Clark Phillips out with a triceps injury, while safety Billy Bowman (knee) and corner Natrone Brooks (concussion) are questionable.
—
Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
Betts added another run with his third hit of the game, a double down the line that nicked off of Ke’Bryan Hayes’ glove.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
The 130-grain bullet had nicked brush.
—Robert Merchant, Outdoor Life, 1 Oct. 2025
An autopsy revealed Murray died from a single gunshot wound to the right upper back that nicked the right lung and exited the right upper clavicle.
—Jade Jackson, IndyStar, 24 Sep. 2025
His dad nicked him on the back of the leg with the chain saw.
—John J. Lennon, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2025
To my ear, Oasis nicked at least as much from bands such as Faces and The Kinks and many of its contemporaries.
—Jesse Adams, The Washington Examiner, 19 Sep. 2025
But Treinen snuffed out the rally by whiffing Adames looking at a full-count 96 mph sinker that nicked the outside corner and Matt Chapman swinging at an 85 mph sweeper that was way outside.
—Mike Digiovanna, Oc Register, 19 Sep. 2025
Miami nicked right-hander McCade Brown for an RBI single in the third, then took the lead off the rookie with a pair of runs in the fourth.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 18 Sep. 2025
Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
Betts added another run with his third hit of the game, a double down the line that nicked off of Ke’Bryan Hayes’ glove.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
The 130-grain bullet had nicked brush.
—Robert Merchant, Outdoor Life, 1 Oct. 2025
An autopsy revealed Murray died from a single gunshot wound to the right upper back that nicked the right lung and exited the right upper clavicle.
—Jade Jackson, IndyStar, 24 Sep. 2025
His dad nicked him on the back of the leg with the chain saw.
—John J. Lennon, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2025
To my ear, Oasis nicked at least as much from bands such as Faces and The Kinks and many of its contemporaries.
—Jesse Adams, The Washington Examiner, 19 Sep. 2025
But Treinen snuffed out the rally by whiffing Adames looking at a full-count 96 mph sinker that nicked the outside corner and Matt Chapman swinging at an 85 mph sweeper that was way outside.
—Mike Digiovanna, Oc Register, 19 Sep. 2025
Miami nicked right-hander McCade Brown for an RBI single in the third, then took the lead off the rookie with a pair of runs in the fourth.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 18 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nicked
Verb
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And at the country mansion of Blenheim Palace, where Winston Churchill was born, a thief stole a golden toilet in 2018.—
Ashley J. DiMella,
FOXNews.com,
8 Nov. 2025
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James notched his fifth and final score in the third quarter, and the Heights’ defense stole the show, preventing Paschal from scoring until late in the fourth quarter.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Also on Wednesday, a daycare employee was arrested outside of her workplace in Chicago.—
Brie Stimson,
FOXNews.com,
8 Nov. 2025
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That’s when he was arrested at a Motel 6 outside Orlando, jailed and charged with grand theft for failing to return a rental car in Broward County.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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In 2023, a statue of a warrior riding a horse that symbolizes the sister city relationship between San Jose and Pune, India, was swiped from Guadalupe River Park.—
Jason Green,
Mercury News,
22 Oct. 2025
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Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa has been under glass since the 1950s, but not so in 1911, when Vincenzo Perrugia, a former museum staffer, hid in a cupboard overnight, then swiped what is now the world’s most famous painting and walked out with it under his coat.—
Sophie Friedman,
AFAR Media,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The London punk rebels seized the revolutionary spirit of 1977 with their raw manifesto The Clash, then refined their sound with the flawed Give ‘Em Enough Rope.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
9 Nov. 2025
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Government security forces seized 1,764 tonnes of cocaine between August 2022 and November 2024, followed by a further 601 tonnes between January and August 2025.—
Gustavo Petro,
Time,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Shakarna grabbed her medication and headed to try to reach her, fearing for her life.—
Zeena Saifi,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
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But like de Blasio did 12 years earlier, Mamdani identified the growing crisis of unaffordability as the city's most pressing problem and grabbed attention − especially from the young and online − by promising to address it.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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After throwing the sandwich, Dunn ran off but was apprehended about a block away.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
5 Nov. 2025
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The male driver, identified as 25-year-old Tajhae Darden, ran from the scene and was apprehended by a police officer on a motorcycle about two minutes after the collision.—
Sam Gillette,
PEOPLE,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nicked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nicked. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
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