What does "lick" mean?
The act of licking; a stroke of the tongue.
Lick
/lɪk/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The act of licking; a stroke of the tongue.
- Grammar: lick is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: addle, amaze, approach, assay.
- Useful contrasts: concede, dehydration, dry.
- Usage evidence: If you can't lick 'em, join 'em.
How to use "lick"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "lick" 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 "lick" 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 "lick" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "lick" 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 "lick" 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 "addle" 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.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "lick", 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 The act of licking; a stroke of the tongue.
"The cat gave its fur a lick."
- 2 An instance or opportunity to earn money fast, usually by illegal means, thus a heist, drug deal etc. or its victim; mostly used in phrasal verbs: hit a lick, hit licks
"Bitch, pig, pull out with the stick / everything I hit like a lick / We don’t miss"
- 3 (boxing) a blow with the fist wordnet
- 4 The amount of some substance obtainable with a single lick.
"Give me a lick of ice cream."
- 5 touching with the tongue wordnet
Show 10 more definitions
- 6 A quick and careless application of anything, as if by a stroke of the tongue.
"a lick of paint"
- 7 a salt deposit that animals regularly lick wordnet
- 8 A place where animals lick minerals from the ground.
"The birds gathered at the clay lick."
- 9 A small watercourse or ephemeral stream. It ranks between a rill and a stream.
"We used to play in the lick."
- 10 A stroke or blow. colloquial
"Hit that wedge a good lick with the sledgehammer."
- 11 A small amount; a whit. colloquial
"You don't have a lick of sense."
- 12 An attempt at something. informal
"Well, my album did well, but "Ruby" was a timely song and that wasn't the time for it to step out. […] Then Waylon Jennings took a lick at it on an album, and my old buddy Roger Miller covered it, too, in his album. And although they're outstanding artists, nothing much happened with the song."
- 13 A short motif.
"There are some really good blues licks in this solo."
- 14 A rate of speed. (Always qualified by good, fair, or a similar adjective.) informal
"The bus was travelling at a good lick when it swerved and left the road."
- 15 An act of cunnilingus. slang
"You up for a lick tonight?"
Verb
- 1 To stroke with the tongue. transitive
"The cat licked its fur."
- 2 find the solution to (a problem or question) or understand the meaning of wordnet
- 3 To lap; to take in with the tongue. transitive
"She licked the last of the honey off the spoon before washing it."
- 4 take up with the tongue wordnet
- 5 To beat with repeated blows. colloquial, dated
""What a curious kind of a fool a girl is! Never been licked in school! Shucks! What's a licking! That's just like a girl -- they're so thin-skinned and chicken-hearted. […]""
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 beat thoroughly and conclusively in a competition or fight wordnet
- 7 To defeat decisively, particularly in a fight. colloquial, dated
"My dad can lick your dad."
- 8 pass the tongue over wordnet
- 9 To overcome. colloquial, dated
"I think I can lick this."
- 10 To perform cunnilingus. slang, vulgar
- 11 To do anything partially. colloquial
- 12 To lap.
"Now, in this decadent age the art of fire-making had been altogether forgotten on the earth. The red tongues that went licking up my heap of wood were an altogether new and strange thing to Weena."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Antonyms
Example
"If you can't lick 'em, join 'em."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "lick"?
Common synonyms include: addle, amaze, approach, assay, attempt, baffle.
How do you use "lick" in a sentence?
If you can't lick 'em, join 'em.
How do you pronounce "lick"?
Pronounced /lɪk/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English likken, from Old English liccian, from Proto-West Germanic *likkōn, from Proto-Germanic *likkōną, from Proto-Indo-European *leyǵʰ- (“to lick”). Sense evolution towards violence unclear; not paralleled in any other Germanic language. See also Saterland Frisian likje, Dutch likken, German lecken; also Old Irish ligid, Latin lingō (“lick”), ligguriō (“to lap, lick up”), Lithuanian laižyti, Old Church Slavonic лизати (lizati), Ancient Greek λείχω (leíkhō), Old Armenian լիզեմ (lizem), Persian لیسیدن (lisidan), Sanskrit लेढि (léḍhi), रेढि (réḍhi).
Etymology 2
Back-formation from hit a lick, which see. Ultimately from liquor.
Etymology 3
North German surname, from a short/pet form of a name related to Leute (“people”); compare Leopold.