fingernail

noun

fin·​ger·​nail ˈfiŋ-gər-ˌnāl 

ˌfiŋ-gər-ˈnāl

: the nail of a finger

Examples of fingernail in a Sentence

I trimmed and filed my fingernails.

He had dirt under his fingernails.

Recent Examples on the Web

Symptoms of an opioid overdose include slow or absent breathing, blue fingernails or lips, cold or clammy skin, and not responsive to others, health officials said. — Paula Wethington, CBS News, 6 Oct. 2026

The Balm, $13, is the equivalent of a Vaseline or Aquaphor, a barrier-supporting treatement that targets dryness and irritation of the body, face and fingernails. — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 1 Oct. 2026

This technology enables chip manufacturers to print billions of transistors onto a chip the size of a fingernail. — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 1 Oct. 2026

Pointy crescents of fingernail clippings placed on the tip of a curious tongue. — Chanel Miller, Time, 30 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for fingernail

• abigail
• cottontail
• countervail
• martingale
• mesoscale
• microscale
• monorail
• nanoscale
• ponytail
• swallowtail
• wensleydale
• yellowtail

Kids Definition

fingernail

noun

fin·​ger·​nail ˈfiŋ-gər-ˌnāl 

ˌfiŋ-gər-ˈnā(ə)l

: the nail of a finger

Medical Definition

fingernail

noun

fin·​ger·​nail ˈfiŋ-gər-ˌnāl, ˌfiŋ-gər-ˈnā(ə)l 

: the nail of a finger