Meaning & use

nickname

noun·Everyday

An informal, often affectionate or humorous name used instead of a person's real name.

See it in a sentence

His friends gave him the nickname 'Tank' because of his size on the football field.

The city earned the nickname 'the Big Apple' many decades ago.

A note on using this word

Nickname can also be used as a verb, meaning to give someone or something an informal name, as in 'they nicknamed the ship the Grey Ghost'.

Words with a similar meaning

monikerpet name

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

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