NICKS Synonyms: 168 Similar and Opposite Words

nicks 1 of 2

noun

plural of nick

as in chips

a V-shaped cut usually on an edge or a surface I made a nick in the frame when I accidentally dropped it

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as in jails

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

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outsides

nicks

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of nick, British slang

as in steals

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

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as in arrests

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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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of nicks

Noun

Dents and nicks that are deep enough that they can’t be ground down with a sharpener or grinder indicate that the mower blade has reached the end of its useable life. — Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 24 July 2026 Its irregularities, grooves, nicks, and pockmarks heightened, rather than disturbed, the tranquillity of the space. — Literary Hub, 22 July 2026 During construction, floorboards were left exposed to develop nicks and dents. — Genevieve Walker, Architectural Digest, 11 July 2026 The handle comes with one original Athena Club cartridge, which has a skin guard to prevent nicks and a hyaluronic acid serum strip. — Sara Coughlin, Allure, 5 July 2026 Stay away from cucumbers with any bruising or nicks in the skin because these can lead to deterioration. — Aly Walansky, Southern Living, 2 July 2026 In addition to keeping your drink close and your hands empty during your daily activities, the water bottle holder protects your water bottle from nicks and dings. — Clint Davis, PEOPLE, 26 June 2026 Be sure that the jars are free of nicks and cracks, and the lids aren't dented or rusted. — Martha Stewart, 12 June 2026 Minimal nicks can typically be removed by sharpening the blades, but serious damage may necessitate a blade replacement. — Timothy Dale, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 May 2026

Verb

Base editing, the process used to make the changes, only nicks one strand of DNA, avoiding the major DNA errors that made CRISPR unsafe. — Carolyn Y. Johnson, Washington Post, 25 June 2026 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 Mora strikesout swinging, and Qualia gets Carson on a breaking ball that nicks the corner of the zone. — Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 24 Feb. 2026 In the book, the protagonist Jonathan Harker nicks himself with a razor and senses Dracula’s rapt attention. — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 20 Oct. 2025 If the surgeon accidently nicks a vein or cuts through a tumor in a way that causes a leakage of cancerous cells, the recovery mode is to undock the robot rapidly, cut the patient open, and fix the problem the old-fashioned way. — IEEE Spectrum, 5 July 2022

Recent Examples of Synonyms for nicks

Noun

Instead of flammable mulch like bark or wood chips, use lava stone or coarse gravel around any shrubbery that is within 5 feet of the structure.

— Sarah Perkel, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026
Because each task requires vastly different amounts of memory, data, and compute power, Dacombe argues that separate chips will actually make the AI process more efficient, as long as the chips can effectively communicate with each other.

— Alexandra York, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of chips

Noun

Of the more than $3 billion that Miami-Dade plans to collect in property taxes next year, roughly 70 cents of every dollar fund the county’s Sheriff’s Office, fire department, jails, roads and transit costs, and Jackson, the Herald analysis found.

— Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 21 Aug. 2026
In fact, in 2022, a year after the Humphrey decision, 74% of people in California jails were still unsentenced and awaiting trial.

— Evelyn Ronan, Sacbee.com, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of jails

Verb

First inning, Shohei Ohtani walks, steals second, jogs to third on a single by Freddie Freeman, scores on a grounder by Mookie Betts.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026
The meat is front and center, but mingling a toston or a spoonful of rice in the pork juices with the salsa verde steals the show.

— The Bon Appétit Staff, Bon Appetit Magazine, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of steals

Verb

Keith arrests our thinking, and cons us into suppressing our critical faculties with the same kind of internalized surveillance that philosopher Michel Foucault broke down to describe a prison’s use of the panopticon in Discipline and Punish.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 19 May 2026
Devlin throws a punch at Stone when the chief arrests him for drunken driving.

— Sandra Dallas, Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2026

Definition of arrests

Noun

Gangs destroyed three of Haiti’s main prisons in early 2024, and those still operating are severely overcrowded.

— Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 25 Aug. 2026
Some of the most difficult positions to fill have been state troopers, correction officers in the prisons, and nurses in psychiatric hospitals.

— Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of prisons

Noun

Hodge says he was abused in multiple federal penitentiaries, but was frequently blocked from filing complaints about it.

— Christie Thompson, NPR, 13 July 2026
This includes providing the Colombian military more leeway in the field, signing a new security agreement with Washington and building 10 mega-prisons that mimic Bukele’s network of penitentiaries in El Salvador.

— Daniel DePetris, Chicago Tribune, 2 June 2026