variants
or less commonly nickle
1
: a silver-white hard malleable ductile metallic element capable of a high polish and resistant to corrosion that is used chiefly in alloys and as a catalyst see Chemical Elements Table
2
a(1)
: the U.S. 5-cent piece regularly containing 25 percent nickel and 75 percent copper
(2)
: the Canadian 5-cent piece
b
: five cents
3
slang
: a packet containing five dollars worth of an illicit drug (such as marijuana)
called also nickel bag
4
: a pass defense in football that employs five defensive backs
Examples of nickel in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Two miles below the surface of the Pacific Ocean, in the expansive sea south of Hawaii, sits a vast quantity of nickel, manganese, cobalt and copper—all vital to the manufacture of lithium-ion batteries.
—
Sarah Whitmire, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
At nickel back, Deommodore Lenoir could settle in there if Isaac Yiadom proves a reliable right-side cornerback.
—Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2024
Excessive amounts of nickel in soil prevents typical plants from growing.
—Matt Simon, WIRED, 21 Mar. 2024
Indonesia is also courting Tesla to set up a base in the country, which holds vast reserves of nickel, a component used in some EV batteries.
—Lionel Lim, Fortune Asia, 13 Mar. 2024
Emily kept the hardware interesting with polished nickel faucets and oil rubbed bronze hardware and lighting.
—Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 27 Mar. 2024
How to handle that animal feed, the tractors, the poultry harvesting machinery, the coal, the passenger vehicles, the tractors, the tin, nickel and zinc?
—Ken Roberts, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
The spacious bag has several compartments to keep items organized, is made from strong double-face leather, and comes in four colors (gold/chalk light saddle, gold/black true red, black antique nickel/flax 2, or gold/taupe oxblood).
—Rachel Simon, Southern Living, 21 Mar. 2024
Lenoir has the wherewithal to play in the slot, and the 49ers may still need to do that if another outside starter does not emerge, or if Lucas and others aren’t up to the nickel role inside while Lenoir stays at right cornerback.
—Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 21 Mar. 2024
Sarah Whitmire, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
At nickel back, Deommodore Lenoir could settle in there if Isaac Yiadom proves a reliable right-side cornerback.
—Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2024
Excessive amounts of nickel in soil prevents typical plants from growing.
—Matt Simon, WIRED, 21 Mar. 2024
Indonesia is also courting Tesla to set up a base in the country, which holds vast reserves of nickel, a component used in some EV batteries.
—Lionel Lim, Fortune Asia, 13 Mar. 2024
Emily kept the hardware interesting with polished nickel faucets and oil rubbed bronze hardware and lighting.
—Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 27 Mar. 2024
How to handle that animal feed, the tractors, the poultry harvesting machinery, the coal, the passenger vehicles, the tractors, the tin, nickel and zinc?
—Ken Roberts, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
The spacious bag has several compartments to keep items organized, is made from strong double-face leather, and comes in four colors (gold/chalk light saddle, gold/black true red, black antique nickel/flax 2, or gold/taupe oxblood).
—Rachel Simon, Southern Living, 21 Mar. 2024
Lenoir has the wherewithal to play in the slot, and the 49ers may still need to do that if another outside starter does not emerge, or if Lucas and others aren’t up to the nickel role inside while Lenoir stays at right cornerback.
—Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 21 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nickel.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Nickel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nickel. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
nickel
noun
nick·el
ˈnik-əl 
: a silver-white hard malleable ductile metallic element capable of a high polish and resistant to corrosion that is used chiefly in alloys and as a catalyst
—symbol Ni
see Chemical Elements Table
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