nickname
Americannoun
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a name added to or substituted for the proper name of a person, place, etc., as in affection, ridicule, or familiarity.
He has always loathed his nickname of “Whizzer.”
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a familiar form of a proper name, as Jim for James and Peg for Margaret.
verb (used with object)
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to give a nickname to (a person, town, etc.); call by a nickname.
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Archaic. to call by an incorrect or improper name; misname.
noun
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a familiar, pet, or derisory name given to a person, animal, or place
his nickname was Lefty because he was left-handed
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a shortened or familiar form of a person's name
Joe is a nickname for Joseph
verb
Other Word Forms
- nicknamer noun
- unnicknamed adjective
Etymology
Origin of nickname
1400–50; late Middle English nekename, for ekename (the phrase an ekename being taken as a nekename ). See eke 2, name; newt
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.
Even if there was, Moody - nicknamed 'Mad Dog' in the Tigers dressing room - has no regrets about the hard-hitting way he played our wonderful game.
From BBC
His disregard for pain and his endless appetite for collisions and close-quarters combat earned him the nickname 'Mad Dog'.
From BBC
Jesse Livermore earned his nickname “Boy Plunger” in Boston’s so-called bucket shops, which took bets on price movements without actually buying or selling shares.
From Barron's
Jesse Livermore earned his nickname “Boy Plunger” in Boston’s so-called bucket shops, which took bets on price movements without actually buying or selling shares.
From Barron's
During this, the Moon can turn a rusty red colour, which is where it gets it nickname, the Blood Moon.
From BBC
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.
