nickel
(US, Canada, countable) A coin worth 5 cents.
Etymology timeline
Born ~1755 · 1 year of recorded useSeen in the wild
White boys gonna white boy huh? These mother fuckers are down to a nickel a dozen
$24.95USD – Vintage 1991 Metal *Pepsi-Cola* 5¢ Cents Sign “America’s Biggest Nickel’s Worth” – Used
If I had a nickel for everytime Dawntrail had a long serpentine birdlike boss, I'd have 2 nickels Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice
Regular up another nickel. Mid-grade over $5. Diesel? Sell your vehicle for food or health insurance.
If I had a nickel for every time I got made redundant after months of totally unbearable burnout I’d have two nickels!!
Definitions
(US, Canada, countable) A coin worth 5 cents.
Many types of nickels were used in psychological warfare. Classified according to general purpose, there were strategic and tactical leaflets.
“White boys gonna white boy huh? These mother fuckers are down to a nickel a dozen”
— Bluesky· May 2026“$24.95USD – Vintage 1991 Metal *Pepsi-Cola* 5¢ Cents Sign “America’s Biggest Nickel’s Worth” – Used”
— Bluesky· May 2026“If I had a nickel for everytime Dawntrail had a long serpentine birdlike boss, I'd have 2 nickels Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Regular up another nickel. Mid-grade over $5. Diesel? Sell your vehicle for food or health insurance.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“If I had a nickel for every time I got made redundant after months of totally unbearable burnout I’d have two nickels!!”
— Bluesky· May 2026
Comments
(US, slang, by extension) Five dollars.
Nickels, the code-name for propaganda leaflets, were ordinary 8-1/2×11" sheets of paper either printed on both sides or folded in half and printed on all four sides. On most of our flights, after leaving the DZ or landing strip we distri…
Comments
(uncountable) A silvery elemental metal with an atomic number of 28 and symbol Ni.
Colonel Hazeltine still had trouble persuading air commanders to drop the nickels. Pilots profanely protested against risking their necks on such foolishness. But in the end 15,000,000 leaflets a week were being dropped on Sicily and Italy.
"nickel" means a silvery elemental metal with an atomic number of 28 and symbol ni. It is one of many casual words teens pick up from friends, social media, music or sport, and on its own it carries no particular warning. If you hear your teen use it, it is fair to ask what they mean by it in their friend group, since meanings drift quickly. Asking out of curiosity rather than alarm tends to keep the conversation open and useful.
"nickel" is informal English meaning a silvery elemental metal with an atomic number of 28 and symbol ni. It is used widely across English varieties. A more formal or neutral equivalent would be something like "a silvery elemental metal with an atomic number of 28 and symbol ni" expressed in standard vocabulary. A common mistake is to assume "nickel" can replace its standard equivalent in every register; keep it for spoken or casual situations and use the formal form in writing. If you are a B2 or C1 learner, it is useful to recognise this word when you hear or read it, but think carefully about whether the situation really calls for it before using it yourself.
“how long would it take to pay-off the national debt if we charged people a nickel to piss on his grave when he dies? i bet if you tied that shit to a national wealth sovereignty fund it would make the saudi's blush....”
— Bluesky· May 2026“if i had a nickel for every time spinach was mentioned in the lyrics of a Gorillaz song, i'd have at least two nickels. it's not a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice”
— Bluesky· May 2026“If I had a nickel... I'd have a lot of nickels.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“If I had a nickel for every time a piece of media called [ ] Stranger affected me deeply enough to paint something, I'd have two nickels (I didn't intend to draw this for Limbus Meursault's birthday I just happened to read the book at the perfect time)”
— Bluesky· May 2026“>> Put a nickel back on there.”
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