DictionaryAI

nexus

noun
NEK-suhs/ˈnɛksəs/

Pluralnexuses, nexusses

5 meanings of nexus

Practice

  1. 1
    linknouncountable
    A connection between things, or a connected group or network of people or things.

    Researchers are studying the nexus between poverty and poor health.

    The court found no causal nexus between the company's actions and the injury.

    UsageUse the nexus between for a connection: the nexus between poverty and health. The usual English plural is nexuses.

    Similarlink, connection, relationship, tie, network

  2. 2
    centernouncountable
    The center or focal point of something.

    For two centuries the port was the nexus of trade between Europe and Asia.

    The small café became a nexus for the city's young artists and writers.

    UsageThe nexus of an activity, or a nexus for a group: the nexus of trade, a nexus for artists.

    Similarhub

    Note

    Where the network sense is the web, this is the point where its strands meet: a port as the nexus of trade, a café as a nexus for young artists. Hub and junction say much the same, with a plainer, more everyday sound.

  3. 3
    tax lawnounCanadaUSuncountable
    The relationship between a seller and a jurisdiction that matters for taxation, established for example when the seller operates a physical store there.

    Opening a warehouse in the state gave the retailer nexus there, so it began collecting sales tax from local customers.

    Our accountant is checking whether the remote employees create nexus in any new states.

    UsageUsually with no a or the: a seller has nexus in a state, or creates nexus there.

    Similarconnection

    Note

    A store, warehouse or office creates physical nexus; economic nexus arises from sales into the state alone.

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

    • A store, warehouse or office establishes physical nexus. cdtfa.ca.gov
    • Sales into a state can establish economic nexus without physical presence, subject to applicable thresholds. tax.idaho.gov

Less common meanings

  1. 4
    noun
    In the grammatical system of the Danish linguist Otto Jespersen (1860–1943), a word group that joins two ideas into one unit, as a clause or sentence does.
  2. 5
    noun
    In Ancient Rome, a debtor bound by a nexum, an obligation under which a creditor could force them to work as a servant until an unpaid debt was cleared; an indentured servant.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of nexus apart? Answer 4 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

From Latin nexus, “connection, binding, bond,” from nectō, “to bind, tie, connect,” with the noun-forming suffix -tus.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 5 facts