noun A familiar, invented name for a person or thing used instead of the actual name of the person or thing, often based on some noteworthy characteristic.
"The Big Apple" is a common nickname for New York City.
noun A familiar, shortened or diminutive name for a person or thing.
My name is Jonathan, but I go by my nickname, Johnny.
verb To give a nickname to (a person or thing).
Gerald, nicknamed "Jerry", was usually a very cheerful person.
verb ↑ Arika Okrent (5 July 2019), “12 Old Words That Survived by Getting Fossilized in Idioms”, in Mental Floss, Pocket, archived from the original on 17 September 2025