lick

LIK/lɪk/

Noun plurallicks

20 meanings of lick

1
verbtransitive
To move your tongue across the surface of something.
Like wiping something with a wet cloth, but using your tongue.
The dog began to lick my hand as soon as I sat down.
She licked the spoon clean after stirring the batter.
Similarmoisten, wet
Note
2
nouncountable
A single movement of the tongue across something.
Like one swipe of a cloth across a window.
The puppy gave my face a quick lick.
One lick of the lollipop and she grinned.
3
verbdatedtransitive
To beat someone badly in a fight or contest.
Like winning a race by a mile.
Our team can lick any team in the whole league.
He licked the bully in front of everyone.
Similarbeat, defeat, trounce, thrash, whip
Note
4
nouncountable
A short, catchy piece of music played on an instrument.
Like a short tune you can hum in a second.
The guitarist played a quick lick between the verses.
That blues lick is easy enough for a beginner to learn.
Similarriff, phrase, motif
Note
5
nouncolloquialcountable
A hit or blow, often struck with the hand or a tool.
Like one strong knock on a door.
He gave the drum a good lick with the stick.
One hard lick split the log in two.
Similarblow, hit, punch, whack, swing
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6
nouncolloquialcountable
A very small amount of something.
Like a tiny drop in a big bucket.
He hasn't done a lick of work all day.
There isn't a lick of sense in that plan.
Similarbit, dash, drop, hint, dab
Note
7
nouncolloquialcountable
A try at doing something.
Like having one go at a game.
Let me have a lick at fixing the bike.
She took a lick at the puzzle but soon gave up.
Similartry, go (entry), shot, stab, crack
Note
8
verbtransitive
To take up liquid or food with the tongue.
Like scooping up water with a small spoon, but using the tongue.
The cat licked the milk from the bowl.
Dogs lick water from puddles when they're thirsty.
Similarlap, slurp
9
nouncountable
A spot where wild animals go to lick salt or minerals from the soil.
Like a spot animals visit for salt, the way they visit a pond for water.
Deer gather at the lick every evening.
Hunters waited near the salt lick at dawn.
10
nouncountable
How much of something you can get with one stroke of the tongue.
Like one spoonful, but measured by the tongue.
One lick of honey was enough to sweeten the tea.
He scooped a big lick of frosting off the side of the bowl.
Similartaste

11
verbdatedtransitive
To beat someone with many blows, usually as a punishment.
His older brother threatened to lick him for breaking the window.
The angry farmer licked the boys who raided his orchard.
Similarthrash, beat, wallop, whip, pummel
Note
12
verbdatedtransitive
To beat or get past something difficult, such as a problem or an opponent.
You can lick a tough problem if you keep trying.
She finally licked her fear of deep water.
Similarbeat, defeat, overcome, conquer, crack
Note
13
nouncountable
A quick, careless dab or coat of something.
Like wiping a cloth across a table just once.
The old gate got just a lick of paint before winter.
Give the pan a lick of oil before you fry the eggs.
Similardab, coat, touch, splash, smear
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14
nouncolloquialcountable
A speed something moves at, always used with a word like 'good' or 'fair.'
The car shot past us at a good lick.
They were cycling down the hill at a fair lick.
Similarpace, clip, rate, speed
Note
15
verbtransitive or intransitive
To touch or wash against something gently, the way small waves do at the edge of water.
Like the way water keeps touching and sliding back at the edge of a lake.
Small waves lick the sandy shore all afternoon.
Flames began to lick at the dry logs in the fireplace.
Similarlap, wash, brush, caress
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16
verbcolloquialtransitive
To do something only partly and not finish it properly.
Don't just lick the work and call it done.
He licked the chores and ran off to play.
Similarbotch, skimp
Oppositefinish, complete
17
nouncountable
A chance to get money fast, usually by breaking the law.
He hit a lick and had cash for a week.
They were planning an easy lick at the corner store.
Similarscore, job, heist, hustle
Note
18
nouncountable
A very small stream, bigger than a tiny trickle but smaller than a normal stream.
We crossed the lick on a line of flat stones.
By midsummer the little lick dried up completely.
Similarbrook, creek, stream, rivulet, run
19
verbslangvulgartransitive
To give a woman oral sex using the mouth and tongue.
He leaned down to lick her in bed.
She wanted her partner to lick her slowly.
Note
20
nounslangcountable
An act of giving a woman oral sex.
He gave her a slow lick before they fell asleep.
She asked for a lick to start the evening.
Note

Practice

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Origins

Meanings 1–16, 18–20

From Old English liccian, meaning "to lick." It goes back to an ancient root shared by many languages.

Meaning 17

A back-formation from the phrase "hit a lick," which comes ultimately from the word "liquor."