# licking

Pronunciation: say "LIK-ing" /ˈlɪkɪŋ/

## Noun

1. An act of passing the tongue over a surface or object.
   - Simple: An act of moving the tongue across something.
   - _The dog's repeated licking of the wound only slowed its healing._
   - _A single licking of the envelope flap was enough to seal it shut._
3. A severe beating, often given as a punishment. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A hard beating given as punishment.
   - _Their father threatened a licking if they lied to him again._
   - _He took a fierce licking in the alley and limped home afterward._
4. A heavy or crushing defeat. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A big loss in a game or contest.
   - _The home team handed their rivals a serious licking on Saturday._
   - _After such a licking at the polls, the party rethought its whole strategy._

## Verb

2. Present participle and gerund of lick. — present participle and gerund of lick
   - Simple: Present participle and gerund of lick. Use this -ing form for an action happening now.
   - _The cat is licking milk from the saucer._
   - _She stood by the window licking an ice cream cone in the sun._

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/licking (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).