First Known Use: 15th century
Dictionary
1nick
noun \ˈnik\
: a small broken area that appears on something after something else hits or cuts it
: a small cut on your skin
the nick : a prison or police station
Full Definition of NICK
1
a : a small notch, groove, or chip b : a small cut or wound c : a break in one strand of two-stranded DNA caused by a missing phosphodiester bond
2
: a final critical moment <in the nick of time>
3
slang British : prison; also : police station
4
British : condition <in good nick>
See nick defined for English-language learners
See nick defined for kids
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Origin of NICK
Middle English nyke, probably alteration of nocke nock
2nick
verb
: to cut or damage a small part of the surface of (something) : to put a nick in (something)
: to make a small cut on (someone)
: to catch and arrest (someone)
Full Definition of NICK
transitive verb
1
: to jot down : record
3
: to cut short <cold weather, which nicked steel and automobile output — Time>
4
: to catch at the right point or time
5
: cheat, overcharge
intransitive verb
1
: to make petty attacks : snipe
2
: to complement one another genetically and produce superior offspring
See nick defined for English-language learners
First Known Use of NICK
1523
NICK Defined for Kids
1nick
noun \ˈnik\
Definition of NICK for Kids
1
: a small cut or chip in a surface
2
: the last moment <We arrived at the dock in the nick of time.>
2nick
verb
nickednick·ing
Definition of NICK for Kids
: to make a small cut or chip in
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