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nicker

1 American  
[nik-er] / ˈnɪk ər /

noun

  1. a person or thing that nicks.

nicker 2 American  
[nik-er] / ˈnɪk ər /

verb (used without object)

Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S.

  1. neigh.

  2. laugh; snicker.

nicker 3 American  
[nik-er] / ˈnɪk ər /

noun

plural

nickerer, nickers

  1. British Slang. one pound sterling.

  2. Australian. money.

nicker 1 British  
/ ˈnɪkə /

verb

  1. (of a horse) to neigh softly

  2. to laugh quietly; snigger

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
nicker 2 British  
/ ˈnɪkə /

noun

  1. slang a pound sterling

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of nicker1

First recorded in 1660–70; nick + -er 1

Origin of nicker2

First recorded in 1785–95; apparently variant of nicher, neigher, frequentative of neigh; -er 6

Origin of nicker3

First recorded in 1875–80; perhaps special use of nicker 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

I would dream that I could hear her nickering but I couldn’t see her.

From Literature

Dodger gave her the quiet little nicker he saved just for her, and Akira smiled.

From Literature

Instantly, Carmen felt calmer as she breathed in the smell of hay and horses and heard the loud nicker of hello from Rosie.

From Literature

Alsvindr nickered at her from his lean-to barn as she passed it.

From Literature

Pierre: “He’s out to the road! Luckily the other horses were nickering, you know, and he came back to the fence . . .”

From Washington Post

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.