tickle

verb tick·le \ ˈti-kəl \

|Updated on: 14 Jul 2018

Definition of tickle

tickled; tickling play \ˈti-k(ə-)liŋ\

1 : to touch (a body part, a person, etc.) lightly so as to excite the surface nerves and cause uneasiness, laughter, or spasmodic movements

2 a : to excite or stir up agreeably : please

music … does more than tickle our sense of rhythm
—Edward Sapir

b : to provoke to laughter or merriment : amuse

were tickled by the clown's antics

3 : to touch or stir gently

a pianist tickling the ivories

intransitive verb

1 : to have a tingling or prickling sensation

my back tickles

2 : to excite the surface nerves to prickle

See tickle defined for English-language learners

See tickle defined for kids

Examples of tickle in a Sentence

Her little brother screamed with laughter as she tickled him.
The tag on the sweater tickled his neck.
My nose started to tickle.
Don't touch me there; it tickles.
We were tickled by the invitation.
The idea of going to the party tickled her.

Recent Examples of tickle from the Web

In so doing, Koko showed the American public that a giant ape didn’t have to be scary but wanted to be tickled and hugged.

— Washington Post, "Koko the gorilla used smarts, empathy to help change views," 21 June 2018
In so doing, Koko showed the American public that a giant ape didn't have to be scary but wanted to be tickled and hugged.

— Bloomberg.com, "Koko the Gorilla Used Smarts, Empathy to Help Change Views," 21 June 2018
My mail tells me a lot of fat, white-haired, wrinkled ladies are tickled pink.

— enid nemy, New York Times, "Barbara Bush, Wife of 41st President and Mother of 43rd, Dies at 92," 17 Apr. 2018
Fellow celebrity reality tv superfan Chrissy Teigen also seemed to be tickled that Rihanna was so deeply invested in the show, going so far as to tweet at Maloney that Rihanna had shared the clip.

— cady lang, Time, "Even Rihanna Has a Favorite Reality TV Show She Fangirls Over," 4 Apr. 2018
Heckman once gave Eaton a sparkly American flag pin, and was tickled when Eaton wore it as part of her Sarah Palin Halloween costume.

— jennifer barrios, Washington Post, "A staunch Republican. A devout Democrat. Tuesday, they’ll vote together.," 22 June 2018
As two tiny eyes peer out from beneath the shell, short tentacles tickle the air, revealing a certain obstinate charm.

— degen pener, Los Angeles Magazine, "What’s Being Done to Revive L.A.’s Decimated Abalone Population," 22 June 2018
Foods high in both carbs and fats tickle the brain’s reward circuits more so than snacks that showcase just one or the other.

— karen hopkin, Scientific American, "Fat-Carb Combo Is A Potent One-Two Punch," 19 June 2018
This tickled Petrovsky, prompting him to ask the question that is burned into my mind for eternity.

— gabriella paiella, The Cut, "I Think About This a Lot: Sex and the City Edition," 6 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tickle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of tickle

Middle English tikelen; akin to Old English tinclian to tickle

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2a

See Words from the same year

tickle

noun

Definition of tickle

1 : the act of tickling

2 : a tickling sensation

3 : something that tickles

Recent Examples of tickle from the Web

The music’s own, natural flourishes start to come through and just tickle (instead of bludgeoning) my pleasure receptors.

— vlad savov, The Verge, "Audio-Technica R70x review: the definition of neutral headphones," 6 July 2018
King of the hill After Saturday’s brouhaha with the Reds, sparked by Amir Garrett’s reaction to striking out Baez, the Cubs lead the majors in bullpen-clearing incidents that have resulted in nothing worse than a tickle.

— paul sullivan, chicagotribune.com, "Time for the Manny Machado watch to go into overdrive in Chicago," 20 May 2018
Aunt Lucy has a deep love for her friends and family, a great sense of humor, and a laugh that feels like a tickle.

— sally kohn, Time, "I Was a Liberal Who Worked at Fox News. Here's What That Taught Me About Arguing Politics," 10 Apr. 2018
Coughing can be maddening, from that first tickle in your throat to dealing with the stuff that might come up with each heave.

— korin miller, SELF, "Here’s When to See a Doctor About That Persistent Cough," 7 Apr. 2018
The blend of fresh herbs and the fish sauce spiked with tamarind tickles every region of the tongue.

— michael bauer, San Francisco Chronicle, "The Temple Club: Vietnamese food you can’t get anywhere else," 2 Feb. 2018
Now the boys crawl-chase each other around the house and make tickle-piles in the morning.

— anndee hochman, Philly.com, "The Parent Trip: Kristen Shahverdian and Lisa Gochee of Point Breeze," 9 Jan. 2018
From there, the show picked up in intensity as the hard hitting bass reached the point of a full-body tickle from the vibrations.

— lyndsey havens, Billboard, "Mura Masa Dazzles, Brings Out Desiigner at New York Show," 13 Oct. 2017
The Albanian section of the menu is brief and distinctly carnal, including smaller but still rugged qofte the size of pincushions, fat tubes of veal sausage (qebapa) and skinny links of beef (suxhuk) with a tickle of paprika.

— ligaya mishan, New York Times, "From a Pizza Oven in the Bronx, Albanian Specialties," 14 Sep. 2017

First Known Use of tickle

1801

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

TICKLE Defined for English Language Learners

tickle

verb

Definition of tickle for English Language Learners

: to try to make (someone) laugh by lightly touching a very sensitive part of the body with your fingers, a feather, etc.
: to have or cause a slightly uncomfortable feeling on a part of your body
: to please or amuse (someone or something)