nig|ger /n I gə r / (niggers ) N‑COUNT Nigger is an extremely offensive word for a black person. [VERY OFFENSIVE ]
nig|gle /n I g ə l/ (niggles , niggling , niggled )
1 VERB If something niggles you, it causes you to worry slightly over a long period of time. [mainly BRIT ] □ [V n] I realise now that the things which used to niggle and annoy me just don't really matter. □ [V + at ] It's been niggling at my mind ever since I met Neville in Nice. □ [V away ] The puzzle niggled away in Arnold's mind. [Also V ] ● N‑COUNT Niggle is also a noun. □ So why is there a little niggle at the back of my mind?
2 VERB If someone niggles you, they annoy you by continually criticizing you for what you think are small or unimportant things. [mainly BRIT ] □ [V n] I don't react anymore when opponents try to niggle me. □ [V + at ] You tend to niggle at your partner, and get hurt when he doesn't hug you. [Also V , V n that] ● N‑COUNT Niggle is also a noun. □ Our life together is more important than any minor niggle we might have.
nig|gling /n I gəl I ŋ/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] A niggling injury or worry is small but bothers you over a long period of time. □ Both players have been suffering from niggling injuries. □ …a niggling worry that the cheap car is also the one that will cause endless trouble.
nigh /na I /
1 ADV [be ADV ] If an event is nigh , it will happen very soon. [OLD-FASHIONED ] □ The end of the world may be nigh, but do we really care?
2 → see also well-nigh
3 PHRASE Nigh on an amount, number, or age means almost that amount, number, or age. [OLD-FASHIONED ] □ I had to pay nigh on forty pounds for it.
night ◆◆◆ /na I t/ (nights )
1 N‑VAR The night is the part of each day when the sun has set and it is dark outside, especially the time when people are sleeping. □ He didn't sleep a wink all night. □ The fighting began in the late afternoon and continued all night. □ Our reporter spent the night crossing the border from Austria into Slovenia. □ Finally night fell.
2 N‑COUNT The night is the period of time between the end of the afternoon and the time that you go to bed, especially the time when you relax before going to bed. □ So whose party was it last night? □ Demiris took Catherine to dinner the following night.
3 N‑COUNT A particular night is a particular evening when a special event takes place, such as a show or a play. □ The first night crowd packed the building. □ …election night.
4 PHRASE If it is a particular time at night , it is during the time when it is dark and is before midnight. □ It's eleven o'clock at night in Moscow. □ He works obsessively from 7.15 am to 9 or 10 at night.
5 PHRASE If something happens at night , it happens regularly during the evening or night. □ He was going to college at night, in order to become an accountant. □ The veranda was equipped with heavy wooden rain doors that were kept closed at night.
6 PHRASE If something happens day and night or night and day , it happens all the time without stopping. □ Dozens of doctors and nurses have been working day and night for weeks. □ He was at my door night and day, demanding my attention.
7 PHRASE If you have an early night , you go to bed early. If you have a late night , you go to bed late. □ I've had a bad day, and all I want is an early night. □ In spite of the travelling and the late night, she did not feel tired.
8 morning, noon, and night → see morning
night|cap /na I tkæp/ (nightcaps ) N‑COUNT A nightcap is a drink that you have just before you go to bed, usually an alcoholic drink. □ Perhaps you would join me for a nightcap?
night|clothes /na I tkloʊðz/ N‑PLURAL Nightclothes are clothes that you wear in bed.
night|club /na I tklʌb/ (nightclubs ) also night club N‑COUNT A nightclub is a place where people go late in the evening to drink and dance.
night|club|bing /na I tklʌb I ŋ/ N‑UNCOUNT Nightclubbing is the activity of going to nightclubs.
night|dress /na I tdres/ (nightdresses ) N‑COUNT A nightdress is a sort of loose dress that a woman or girl wears in bed. [BRIT ] in AM, use nightgown
night|fall /na I tfɔːl/ N‑UNCOUNT Nightfall is the time of day when it starts to get dark. □ I need to get to Lyon by nightfall.
night|gown /na I tgaʊn/ (nightgowns ) N‑COUNT A nightgown is the same as a nightdress . [AM ]
nightie /na I ti/ (nighties ) N‑COUNT A nightie is the same as a nightdress or nightgown. [INFORMAL ]
night|in|gale /na I t I ŋge I l, [AM ] -t ə n-/ (nightingales ) N‑COUNT A nightingale is a small brown bird. The male, which can be heard at night, sings beautifully.
night|life /na I tla I f/ also night-life N‑UNCOUNT Nightlife is all the entertainment and social activities that are available at night in towns and cities, such as nightclubs and theatres. □ …Hamburg's energetic nightlife. □ There are free buses around the resort and plenty of nightlife.
ni ght light (night lights ) N‑COUNT A night light is a light that is not bright and is kept on during the night, especially in a child's room.
night|ly /na I tli/ ADJ [ADJ n] A nightly event happens every night. □ I'm sure we watched the nightly news, and then we turned on the movie. □ For months at a time, air raids were a nightly occurrence. ● ADV [usu ADV after v] Nightly is also an adverb. □ She appears nightly on the television news.