A little girl licks an ice cream cone.
- The definition of a lick is a small amount.
An example of a lick is someone with very little common sense; a lick of common sense.
- Lick is defined as to lightly touch the tongue to, move the tongue across or wet with the tongue.
- An example of lick is how you'd eat a soft serve ice cream in a cone.
- An example of lick is using your tongue to wet the back of a stamp.
- to pass the tongue over: to lick one's lips
- to bring into a certain condition by passing the tongue over: to lick one's fingers clean
- to pass lightly over like a tongue: flames licking the logs
- to whip; thrash
- to overcome, vanquish, or control
Origin of lickMiddle English licken from Old English liccian, akin to German lecken from Indo-European base an unverified form lei?h-, to lick from source Classical Greek leichein, Classical Latin ligurrire, to lick, lingere, to lick up
- the act or an instance of licking with the tongue
- a small quantity
- salt lick
- a sharp blow
- a short, rapid burst of activity, often careless, as in cleaning up, etc.also lick and a promise
- a fast pace; spurt of speed; clip
- Slang a phrase of jazz music, esp. an interpolated improvisation
- [often pl.]Slang chance; turn: to get one's licks in
lick into shape
Origin of lickfrom an old belief that bear cubs were born formless and their parents had to shape them by licking them
lick one's chops
lick one's wounds
verblicked, lick·ing, licks
- To pass the tongue over or along: lick a stamp.
- To lap up: The cat licked the milk from the bowl.
- To lap or flicker at like a tongue: The waves licked the sides of the boat.
- Slang a. To beat or thrash.b. To defeat soundly: licked their rivals in lacrosse.c. To deal with effectively; overcome: licked her weight problem.
- The act or process of licking.
- An amount obtained by licking: a lick of ice cream.
- A small quantity; a bit: hasn't got a lick of common sense.
- A deposit of exposed natural salt that is licked by passing animals.
- Slang A sudden hard stroke; a blow.
- Slang An attempt; a try: Why not give those skis a lick?
- Informal Speed; pace: moving along at a good lick.
- Music A phrase improvised by a soloist, especially on the guitar or banjo.
Origin of lickMiddle English licken from Old English liccian ; see leigh- in Indo-European roots.
- The act of licking; a stroke of the tongue.
- The cat gave its fur a lick.
- The amount of some substance obtainable with a single lick.
- Give me a lick of ice cream.
- A quick and careless application of anything, as if by a stroke of the tongue, or of something which acts like a tongue.
- a lick of paint; to put on colours with a lick of the brush
- A place where animals lick minerals from the ground.
- The birds gathered at the clay lick.
- A small watercourse or ephemeral stream. It ranks between a rill and a stream.
- We used to play in the lick.
- (colloquial) A stroke or blow.
- Hit that wedge a good lick with the sledgehammer.
- (colloquial) A bit.
- You don't have a lick of sense.
- I didn't do a lick of work today.
- (music) A short motif.
- There are some really good blues licks in this solo.
- speed. In this sense it is always qualified by good, or fair or a similar adjective.
- The bus was travelling at a good lick when it swerved and left the road.
(third-person singular simple present licks, present participle licking, simple past and past participle licked)
- To stroke with the tongue.
- The cat licked its fur.
- (colloquial) To defeat decisively, particularly in a fight.
- My dad can lick your dad.
- (colloquial) To overcome.
- I think I can lick this.
- (vulgar, slang) To perform cunnilingus.
- (colloquial) To do anything partially.
- (of flame, waves etc.) To lap
- To lap; to take in with the tongue.
- A cat licks milk.
From Old English liccian, from Proto-Germanic *likkÅnÄ… (compare East Frisian likje, Dutch likken, German lecken), from Proto-Indo-European *leiÇµÊ°- (compare Old Irish ligid, Latin lingÅ (“lick"), ligguriÅ (“to lap, lick up"), Lithuanian laiÅ¾yti, Old Church Slavonic Ð»Ð¸Ð·Ð°Ñ‚Ð¸ (lizati), Ancient Greek Î»ÎµÎ¯Ï‡Ï‰ (leÃkhÅ), Old Armenian Õ¬Õ«Õ¦Õ¥Õ´ (lizem), Persian Ù„ÛŒØ³ÛŒØ¯Ù† (lisidan), Sanskrit à¤²à¥‡à¤¢à¤¿ (lÃ©á¸hi), à¤°à¥‡à¤¢à¤¿ (rÃ©á¸hi)).