nickel

A2 · Elementary Countable noun American English

n. a coin used in the United States and Canada that is worth five cents.

n. a five-cent coin in the United States and Canada, typically composed of a copper-nickel alloy.

“I found a nickel and three pennies at the bottom of my bag.”

“The child carefully counted out four nickels to pay for the candy, proud to use his own pocket money for the purchase.”

C1 · Advanced Countable noun Slang · American English

n. a slang word for five, such as a five-year prison sentence or five dollars.

n. a slang term representing the number five, commonly applied to currency amounts or durations of time.

“He just finished serving a nickel for his role in the robbery.”

“In certain street dialects, asking for a nickel might refer to five dollars or even five hundred, depending entirely on the immediate social context.”

C2 · Proficiency Technology Technical

v. to cover a metal object with a thin layer of nickel.

v. to plate or coat a surface with nickel, usually through an electrolytic process.

Español:niquelar

“The factory nickels the car parts to prevent them from rusting.”

“The restoration expert decided to nickel the original brass fittings to match the aesthetic of the early twentieth-century interior.”

C1 · Advanced American English · Informal

adj. describing something that is very cheap or of low quality.

adj. denoting something of little value or low cost; often used in the compound 'nickel-and-dime'.

“I don't want to buy some nickel watch that breaks in a week.”

“The critic dismissed the production as a nickel opera, citing the poor set design and lack of rehearsal time.”