To nick something means to make a small cut, chip, or scratch in it. When you're slicing vegetables and the knife slips slightly, you might nick your finger, creating a tiny cut that barely bleeds. A baseball might nick the corner of home plate. You might nick the paint on your bike frame when you bump it against a wall.

The word suggests something minor, not serious damage. If you nick a glass while washing dishes, you create a small chip on the rim, but the glass is still usable. If you nick yourself while shaving, it's a small cut, not a deep wound.

Nick can also mean to catch or arrest someone, though this usage is more common in British English. The police might nick a thief who's been stealing from local shops.

As a noun, a nick is a small cut, chip, or scratch. There's also the phrase in the nick of time, which means at the very last possible moment. If you finish your homework in the nick of time, you complete it just before it's due.