hex

¹ American  

[heks] / hɛks /

verb (used with object)

1. to bewitch; practice witchcraft on.

   He was accused of hexing his neighbors' cows because they suddenly stopped giving milk.

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noun

1. spell; charm.

   With all this rain, somebody must have put a hex on our picnic.

2. a witch.

hex ² American  

[heks] / hɛks /

adjective

Informal.

1. hexagonal.

   a bolt with a matching washer and hex nut.

2. hexadecimal.

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hex. ³ American  

abbreviation

1. hexagon

2. hexagonal.

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hex ¹ British  

/ hɛks /

noun

1. 1. short for hexadecimal

   2. ( as modifier )

      hex code

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hex ² British  

/ hɛks /

verb

1. (tr) to bewitch

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noun

1. an evil spell or symbol of bad luck

2. a witch

Other Word Forms

• hexer noun

Etymology

Origin of hex¹

1820–30; < German Hexe witch; hag ¹

Origin of hex²

First recorded in 1920–25; by shortening

Explanation

A hex is a magic spell or charm that's meant to cause harm. A witch in a story, for example, might put a hex on a prince that turns him into a chicken. If you believe in magic, you might either fear hexes or aspire to learn how to put them on your enemies — to hex them. In the Pennsylvania Dutch tradition, "hex signs," forms of stars, flowers, and circles, are commonly painted on barns. Though tourists often interpret these as having superstitious meanings, they're really just folk art symbols. The Middle High German root of hex is Hexe, or "witch."

Example Sentences

Like the store’s sign, the sky glowed Big Orange, hex code #F96302, or Pantone 165 C, available in the paint department inside.

From Slate • Jan. 27, 2026

So how, after decades of pain, have Scotland turned the tables in recent years and put a Calcutta Cup hex on the English?

From BBC • Feb. 19, 2025

The Vision that Wanda created with her magic disappeared at the end of “WandaVision” after Wanda undid the magical hex that altered Westview’s reality.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 18, 2024

No longer a pristine hex shape, it was now gnarled up and unusable.

From Salon • Dec. 5, 2023

That particular kind of magic—and it was a hex, really—had been outlawed hundreds of years ago.

From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega

Related Words

• jinx
• whammy