1
as in stealing
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in arresting
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nicking
Verb
-
Some also accused unscrupulous recruitment agents or Russian colleagues of stealing from their bank accounts.—
Larry Madowo,
CNN Money,
4 Feb. 2026 -
Vandals broke into a Catholic school in Long Beach overnight Monday, stealing church items, damaging statues and tossing the tabernacle to the ground, according to police and school officials.—
Summer Lin,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The White House has long blamed problems arresting criminal immigrants on places known as sanctuary jurisdictions, a term generally applied to state and local governments that limit law enforcement cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security.—
Steve Karnowski,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Feb. 2026
-
The Associated Press reports one of its photographers witnessed several federal agents arresting a car full of activists at gunpoint Tuesday morning in south Minneapolis.—
Conor Wight,
CBS News,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In 2020, just prior to the onset of the pandemic, ESPN had designs on swiping Romo from CBS with a $15 million per year contract.—
Andrew Marchand,
New York Times,
2 Feb. 2026
-
Home security camera footage captured a suspect wearing black clothing and glasses swiping the bear off the front porch of the Lakeshore Drive home.—
Joseph Buczek,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
China is seizing an opportunity to challenge American dominance in global finance and exert greater international influence at the expense of the all-powerful US dollar.—
Stephanie Yang,
CNN Money,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Allegations include entering homes without warrants, stopping, intimidating and seizing legal observers, and detaining suspects by virtue of their appearance or accent.—
Yohuru Williams,
The Conversation,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Not every retailer is deploying AI in headline-grabbing ways, but many are intentionally building the foundations that make the technology viable.—
Peter Sadera,
Sourcing Journal,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Another handwashing no-no is touching the phone, then grabbing clean tongs without washing hands.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Cellphone footage provided by the North Hills United Methodist Church showed armed agents who appeared to be performing an immigration enforcement operation chasing and eventually apprehending Chavez in the parking lot.—
Austin Turner,
CBS News,
2 Feb. 2026
-
The federal statute authorizes law enforcement agencies to aid Immigration and Customs Enforcement in investigating, apprehending and detaining people in the country illegally.—
Richard Ruelas,
AZCentral.com,
22 Jan. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Nicking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nicking. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
