nickel
noun
nick·​el
| \ ˈni-kəl
\
\
variants:
or less commonly nickle
Definition of nickel
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
2a(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
The dahlia, which can have flowers the size of a nickel to a dinner plate, lost favor among gardeners. — Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp, Indianapolis Star, "The Hoosier Gardener: Dahlia revival hits home in Zionsville," 15 Aug. 2019 The lunar library on the Beresheet lander consisted of 25 layers of nickel, each only a few microns thick. — Daniel Oberhaus, WIRED, "A Crashed Israeli Lunar Lander Spilled Tardigrades on the Moon," 5 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nickel.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for nickel
nickel
noun
English Language Learners Definition of nickel
: a hard silver-white metal
: a U.S. or Canadian coin that is worth five cents
See the full definition for nickel in the English Language Learners Dictionary
nickel
noun
nick·​el
| \ ˈni-kəl
\
\
Kids Definition of nickel
1
: a hard silvery white metallic chemical element that can be highly polished, resists weathering, and is used in alloys
2
: a United States coin worth five cents
nickel
noun
nick·​el
| \ ˈnik-əl
\
\
Medical Definition of nickel
: 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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