nick
Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Acronyms, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
nick
(nĭk)n.
1. A shallow notch, cut, or indentation on an edge or a surface: nicks in the table; razor nicks on his chin.
2. Chiefly British Slang A prison or police station.
3. Printing A groove down the side of a piece of type used to ensure that it is correctly placed.
tr.v. nicked, nick·ing, nicks
Idiom: 1.
a. To cut a nick or notch in.
b. To cut into and wound slightly: A sliver of glass nicked my hand.
2. To cut short; check: nicked an impulse to flee.
3. Slang To cheat, especially by overcharging.
4. Chiefly British Slang
a. To steal.
b. To arrest.
in the nick of time
Just at the critical moment; just in time.
[Middle English nik, possibly alteration (influenced by nokke, notch) of niche; see niche.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
nick
(nɪk)n
1. a small notch or indentation on an edge or surface
2. (Printing, Lithography & Bookbinding) a groove on the shank of a printing type, used to orientate type and often to distinguish the fount
3. Brit a slang word for prison, police station
4. in good nick informal in good condition
5. in the nick of time at the last possible moment; at the critical moment
vb
6. (tr) to chip or cut
7. (tr) slang chiefly
a. to steal
b. to take into legal custody; arrest
8. informal (often foll by: off) to move or depart rapidly
9. (Horse Training, Riding & Manège) to divide and reset (certain of the tail muscles of a horse) to give the tail a high carriage
10. (tr) to guess, catch, etc, exactly
11. (Agriculture) (intr) (of breeding stock) to mate satisfactorily
12. nick someone for slang US and Canadian to defraud someone to the extent of
[C15: perhaps changed from C14 nocke nock]
nick
(nɪk)n
(Telecommunications) computing an alias adopted by a member of a chatroom or forum; nickname
[short for nickname]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
nick
(nɪk)n.
1. a small notch, groove, chip, or the like.
2. a small dent or wound.
3. a small groove on one side of the shank of a printing type.
4. a break in a strand of a DNA or RNA molecule.
5. Brit. Slang. prison.
v.t. 6. to cut into or through.
7. to hit or injure slightly.
8. to make a nick or nicks in (something); notch, groove, or chip.
9. to 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).
10. to hit, guess, catch, etc., exactly.
11. Slang. to trick, cheat, or defraud.
12. Brit. Slang.
Idioms: a. to arrest (a criminal or suspect).
b. to capture; nab.
c. to steal.
in the nick of time, at the right moment and no sooner; at the last possible moment.
[1475–85; obscurely akin to Old English gehnycned wrinkled, Old Norse hnykla to wrinkle]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
nick
Past participle: nicked
Gerund: nicking
| Imperative |
|---|
| nick |
| nick |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. |  nick - an impression in a surface (as made by a blow)blemish, mar, defect - a mark or flaw that spoils the appearance of something (especially on a person's body); "a facial blemish" dig - a small gouge (as in the cover of a book); "the book was in good condition except for a dig in the back cover" |
| 2. | nick - (British slang) a prison; "he's in the nick" prison, prison house - a correctional institution where persons are confined while on trial or for punishment jargon, lingo, patois, argot, vernacular, slang, cant - a characteristic language of a particular group (as among thieves); "they don't speak our lingo" Britain, Great Britain, U.K., UK, United Kingdom, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland - a monarchy in northwestern Europe occupying most of the British Isles; divided into England and Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland; `Great Britain' is often used loosely to refer to the United Kingdom | |
| 3. | nick - a small cut | |
| Verb | 1. | nick - cut slightly, with a razor; "The barber's knife nicked his cheek" cut - separate with or as if with an instrument; "Cut the rope" |
| 2. | nick - cut a nick into cut - separate with or as if with an instrument; "Cut the rope" | |
| 3. | nick - divide or reset the tail muscles of; "nick horses" | |
| 4. | nick - mate successfully; of livestock |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
nick
verb
1. (Slang) steal, pinch (informal), swipe (slang), pilfer, trouser (slang), knock off (slang), snitch (slang) We used to nick biscuits from the kitchen.
noun
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
nick
verbThe American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
TranslationsSelect a language:
Spanish / Español
Nick
[nɪk] N (familiar form) of Nicholas Old Nick (hum) → Pedro Botero (hum)nick
[nɪk]A. N
4. (= condition) in good nick → en buen estado
B. VT
1. (= cut) → hacer una muesca en, mellar
he nicked his chin shaving → se hizo un corte en la barbilla afeitándose
the bullet had nicked the bone → la bala le había hendido el hueso
the film does no more than nick the surface of this thorny issue → la película no hace más que tocar muy de refilón este espinoso asunto
to nick o.s → cortarse
he nicked his chin shaving → se hizo un corte en la barbilla afeitándose
the bullet had nicked the bone → la bala le había hendido el hueso
the film does no more than nick the surface of this thorny issue → la película no hace más que tocar muy de refilón este espinoso asunto
to nick o.s → cortarse
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
nick
(nik) noun verb to make a small cut in something. He nicked his chin while he was shaving.cortar
in the nick of time at the last possible moment; just in time. He arrived in the nick of time. en el momento crítico, justo a tiempo
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
nick
n cortada pequeña, (during surgery) perforación f; vt cortar levemente, perforar (sin querer)English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.