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WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026nick /nɪk/USA pronunciation
n. [countable]
- a small notch, groove, chip, or the like:some nicks on the car door.
- a small dent or wound:a couple of nicks on his face from shaving.
v. [~ + object]
- to cut into or through:He nicked his face shaving.
- to make a nick in (something);
notch:The rocks must have nicked the car door.
- [Brit. Slang.]
- to arrest (a criminal or suspect).
- to steal.
Idioms
- Idioms in the nick of time, at the right moment and no sooner;
at the last possible moment:arrived in the nick of time.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026nick
(nik),USA pronunciation n.
- a small notch, groove, chip, or the like, cut into or existing in something.
- a hollow place produced in an edge or surface, as of a dish, by breaking, chipping, or the like:I didn't notice those tiny nicks in the vase when I bought it.
- a small dent or wound.
- Printinga small groove on one side of the shank of a printing type, serving as a guide in setting or to distinguish different types. See diag. under type.
- Genetics, Biochemistry[Biochem.]a break in one strand of a double-stranded DNA or RNA molecule.
- [Brit. Slang.]prison.
- in the nick of time, at the right or vital moment, usually at the last possible moment:The fire engines arrived in the nick of time.
v.t.
- to cut into or through:I nicked my chin while shaving.
- to hit or injure slightly.
- to make a nick or nicks in (something);
notch, groove, or chip.
- to record by means of a notch or notches.
- Veterinary Diseasesto incise certain tendons at the root of (a horse's tail) to give it a higher carrying position;
make an incision under the tail of (a horse).
- to hit, guess, catch, etc., exactly.
- [Slang.]to trick, cheat, or defraud:How much did they nick you for that suit?
- [Brit. Slang.]
- to arrest (a criminal or suspect).
- to capture;
nab.
- to steal:Someone nicked her pocketbook on the bus.
- obscurely akin to Old English gehnycned wrinkled, Old Norse hnykla to wrinkle 1475–85
- See Old Nick.
- a male given name, form of Nicholas.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
nick /nɪk/ n - a small notch or indentation on an edge or surface
- Brit a slang word for prison, police station
- in good nick ⇒ informal in good condition
- in the nick of time ⇒ at the last possible moment; at the critical moment
vb - (transitive) to chip or cut
- (transitive) slang chiefly Brit
- to steal
- to take into legal custody; arrest
- (intransitive) often followed by off: informal to move or depart rapidly
- to divide and reset (certain of the tail muscles of a horse) to give the tail a high carriage
- (transitive) to guess, catch, etc, exactly
- nick someone for ⇒ US Canadian slang to defraud someone to the extent of
Etymology: 15th Century: perhaps changed from C14 nocke nock
'nicked' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
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