What does "flick" mean?
A short, quick movement, especially a brush, sweep, or flip.
Flick
/flɪk/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A short, quick movement, especially a brush, sweep, or flip.
- Grammar: flick is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: film, movie, 3-d, activate.
- Useful contrasts: book, dull, extinguish.
- Usage evidence: A device implanted in the spinal cord, dubbed the Orgasmotron, allows female patients to experience orgasm with the flick of a remote control.
How to use "flick"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "flick" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "flick" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "flick" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "flick" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "flick" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "film" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "flick", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A short, quick movement, especially a brush, sweep, or flip.
"He removed the speck of dust with a flick of his finger."
- 2 a form of entertainment that enacts a story by sound and a sequence of images giving the illusion of continuous movement wordnet
- 3 A motion picture, movie, film; (in plural, usually preceded by "the") movie theater, cinema. informal
"My all-time favorite flick is "Gone with the Wind.""
- 4 a short stroke wordnet
- 5 A cut that lands with the point, often involving a whip of the foible of the blade to strike at a concealed target.
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 a light sharp contact (usually with something flexible) wordnet
- 7 A powerful underarm volley shot.
"The fourth seed was dominating her 20-year-old opponent with a series of stinging groundstrokes and athletic drive-volleys, striking again in game five when Paszek flicked a forehand pick-up into the tramlines."
- 8 The act of pressing a place on a touch screen device.
- 9 A flitch.
"a flick of bacon"
- 10 A unit of time, equal to 1/705,600,000 of a second
- 11 A chap or fellow; sometimes as a friendly term of address. dated, slang
"'All that I have, dear old flick, is yours for the asking. What can I do?'"
- 12 A photo. dated
"I was taking some flicks of the [p]arade […] and [someone] asked […] if I would like to take a picture of him[.]"
Verb
- 1 To move or hit (something) with a short, quick motion.
"flick one's hair"
- 2 remove with a flick (of the hand) wordnet
- 3 To pass by rapidly, so as not to be perceived clearly.
"Near-synonym: flit"
- 4 touch or hit with a light, quick blow wordnet
- 5 cause to make a snapping sound wordnet
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 throw or toss with a quick motion wordnet
- 7 twitch or flutter wordnet
- 8 cause to move with a flick wordnet
- 9 look through a book or other written material wordnet
- 10 flash intermittently wordnet
- 11 shine unsteadily wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A diminutive of the female given name Felicity.
- 2 A diminutive of the female given name Felicia.
"Felicia Jane "Flick" Beatrix Drummond is a British Conservative Party politician."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"A device implanted in the spinal cord, dubbed the Orgasmotron, allows female patients to experience orgasm with the flick of a remote control."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "flick"?
Common synonyms include: film, movie, 3-d, activate, animated cartoon, beak.
How do you use "flick" in a sentence?
A device implanted in the spinal cord, dubbed the Orgasmotron, allows female patients to experience orgasm with the flick of a remote control.
How do you pronounce "flick"?
Pronounced /flɪk/.
Etymology
From Middle English flykke (“light blow or stroke”). Later uses apparently interpreted as a back-formation from flicker. The use of flick to mean a film or movie derives from the fact that early films had a low frame rate, thus causing the film to "flick" rapidly when projected onto a screen.