Synonyms of nicks

nicks 1 of 2

noun

plural of nick

1

as in chips

a V-shaped cut usually on an edge or a surface

I made a nick in the frame when I accidentally dropped it

Synonyms & Similar Words

• chips
• indents
• grooves
• slits
• indentations
• punches
• slots
• hacks
• notches
• kerfs
• indentures
• snips
• scores
• nocks
• undercuts
• joggles

2

as in jails

British slang a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody

the blokes at the pub traded stories of nights spent in the nick after having lifted too many pints

Synonyms & Similar Words

• jails
• prisons
• penitentiaries
• brigs
• pens
• clinks
• lockups
• hocks
• jugs
• joints
• pokeys
• big houses
• bastilles
• coolers
• stockades
• cans
• tolbooths
• coops
• holes
• slammers
• slams
• cells
• cages
• quods
• jailhouses
• stirs
• bridewells
• tanks
• hoosegows
• calabooses
• guardrooms
• holds
• dungeons
• bull pens
• wards
• hulks
• concentration camps
• keeps
• blocks
• prison camps
• guardhouses
• work camps
• labor camps
• glasshouses
• reformatories
• gulags
• stalags
• reform schools
• training schools
• oubliettes

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• outsides

nicks

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of nick, British slang

1

as in steals

to take (something) without right and with an intent to keep

that lorry was a piece of rubbish, I don't know why anyone would want to nick it

Synonyms & Similar Words

• steals
• swipes
• pinches
• thieves
• pockets
• nips
• filches
• lifts
• pilfers
• grabs
• snatches
• hooks
• snitches
• robs
• purloins
• rips off
• appropriates
• misappropriates
• picks
• boosts
• runs off with
• walks off with
• makes away with
• hijacks
• makes off with
• takes
• loots
• plunders
• heists
• pillages
• sacks
• rifles
• nails
• knocks over
• seizes
• burglarizes
• rustles
• poaches
• shoplifts
• collars
• sponges
• grasps
• spirits
• kidnaps
• abducts
• carjacks
• mooches
• shanghais

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• buys
• purchases
• gives
• contributes
• presents
• bestows
• donates
• hands over

2

as in arrests

to take or keep under one's control by authority of law

a petty thief who was always getting nicked for picking the pockets of tourists outside Buckingham Palace

Synonyms & Similar Words

• arrests
• seizes
• grabs
• pinches
• nails
• apprehends
• restrains
• detains
• collars
• commits
• nabs
• runs in
• snatches
• catches
• captures
• busts
• traps
• picks up
• pulls in
• jails
• lands
• hooks
• snares
• bags
• confines
• grapples
• imprisons
• snaps (up)
• incarcerates
• binds
• handcuffs
• interns
• shackles
• gets
• locks (up)
• fetters
• holds
• jugs
• immures
• enchains
• remands
• manacles
• trammels
• rearrests

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• discharges
• springs
• releases
• loosens
• looses
• frees
• liberates
• emancipates
• unchains
• unbinds

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of nicks

Noun

Trusted by professional barbers, Green Stix stops shaving nicks and minor cuts in seconds. — ABC News, 19 Sep. 2026

This can help them last longer and prevent small scratches and nicks that can lead to more damage and stains over time. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 8 Sep. 2026

Dents and nicks that are deep enough that they can’t be ground down with a sharpener or grinder indicate that the mower blade has reached the end of its useable life. — Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 24 July 2026

Its irregularities, grooves, nicks, and pockmarks heightened, rather than disturbed, the tranquillity of the space. — Literary Hub, 22 July 2026

During construction, floorboards were left exposed to develop nicks and dents. — Genevieve Walker, Architectural Digest, 11 July 2026

The handle comes with one original Athena Club cartridge, which has a skin guard to prevent nicks and a hyaluronic acid serum strip. — Sara Coughlin, Allure, 5 July 2026

In addition to keeping your drink close and your hands empty during your daily activities, the water bottle holder protects your water bottle from nicks and dings. — Clint Davis, PEOPLE, 26 June 2026

Be sure that the jars are free of nicks and cracks, and the lids aren't dented or rusted. — Martha Stewart, 12 June 2026

Verb

Base editing, the process used to make the changes, only nicks one strand of DNA, avoiding the major DNA errors that made CRISPR unsafe. — Carolyn Y. Johnson, Washington Post, 25 June 2026

That means a ball that nicks a sliver of the plate at the front and then dives into the dirt will not be called a strike by ABS. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 18 Mar. 2026

Mora strikesout swinging, and Qualia gets Carson on a breaking ball that nicks the corner of the zone. — Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 24 Feb. 2026

In the book, the protagonist Jonathan Harker nicks himself with a razor and senses Dracula’s rapt attention. — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 20 Oct. 2025

If the surgeon accidently nicks a vein or cuts through a tumor in a way that causes a leakage of cancerous cells, the recovery mode is to undock the robot rapidly, cut the patient open, and fix the problem the old-fashioned way. — IEEE Spectrum, 5 July 2022