tickle

verb tick·le \ ˈti-kəl \

Updated on: 18 May 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

His awkward pronounciation of the 27-year-old star's surname tickled the internet, leaving many to question his true friendship with the star.

— Houston Chronicle, "PV CONCERT LIST 0504," 2 May 2018
While giving his foes a good tongue-lashing on Twitter normally tickles his fancy, winning trumps all of that for the 25-year-old artist.

— carl lamarre, Billboard, "Russ on Going Platinum With No Features, Drake Being the Greatest of All Time & Why He's the Steph Curry of Rap," 23 Apr. 2018
The second half and overtime periods during Alabama's national championship victory tickled the imagination, creating a vision of what Crimson Tide football could look like in 2018 and beyond.

— rainer sabin, AL.com, "Has Tua Tagovailoa's injury stunted the growth of Alabama's offense?," 20 Apr. 2018
The latest player to tickle their fancies is none other than Crystal Palace star winger Wilfried Zaha.

— SI.com, "Reds Fans Urge Liverpool to Sign Crystal Palace Attacker After Selhurst Park Clash," 2 Apr. 2018
Encountering complacency that unrepentant was always a peculiar thrill, guaranteed to tickle my inner imp of the perverse.

— tom carson, Los Angeles Magazine, "From Aldi to Vons, How Grocery Stores Are Our Connection to L.A.—and Ourselves," 19 Feb. 2018
Taking our phones and computers out of the bedroom has made room for touching, tickling, and squeezing that would have been taken up by clicking and tweeting and scrolling mindlessly through other happy couples' Instagram feeds.

— jo piazza, Marie Claire, "Does Getting Married Have to Kill Your Sex Life?," 28 Aug. 2017
There’s even a small rubber wand that can tickle your ankles and a scent sprayer that pumps out up to nine different smells, including gunpowder, peach, wood, rose and beef.

— pam kragen, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Cinépolis offers discount 'magic hour' at North County theaters," 25 Apr. 2018
But if early voting is an accurate indicator, those matters have done little to tickle the voting public's fancy.

— bob warren, NOLA.com, "Slidell mayor runoff tops Saturday ballot, but will voters show up?," 23 Apr. 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

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
Baby lap time Books, songs, rhymes, tickles and bounces, for children from birth to walking.

— Washington Post, "What’s happening in the District, Sept. 14-20, 2017," 13 Sep. 2017
And his hunger for their poached, fried, baked, leftover-taco-friendly tickle on his taste buds.

— bill monroe, OregonLive.com, "More halibut sportfishing due for Oregon Coast anglers," 26 Aug. 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)

TICKLE Defined for Kids

tickle

verb tick·le \ ˈti-kəl \

Definition of tickle for Students

tickled; tickling

1 : to have a tingling or prickling sensation

My nose tickles.

2 : to touch (a body part) lightly so as to cause laughter or jerky movements

I tickled the baby's feet.

3 : to excite or stir up agreeably

This food tickles my taste buds.

4 : amuse 2

… Avery was tickled to find himself so wet …
—E. B. White, Charlotte's Web.

tickle

noun

Definition of tickle for Students

: a tingling or prickling sensation

Medical Dictionary

tickle

verb tick·le \ ˈtik-əl \

medical Definition of tickle

tickled; tickling play \-(ə-)liŋ\

intransitive verb

1 : to have a tingling or prickling sensation

my back tickles

2 : to excite the surface nerves to prickle

transitive verb

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

tickle

noun

medical Definition of tickle

1 : the act of tickling

2 : a tickling sensation

a cough is a reflex to a tickle in the throat
—Karl Menninger

3 : something that tickles

Learn More about tickle

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tickle

Definition of tickle

Examples of tickle in a Sentence

Recent Examples of tickle from the Web

Origin and Etymology of tickle

tickle

Definition of tickle

Recent Examples of tickle from the Web

First Known Use of tickle

Phrases Related to TICKLE

Related Phrases

TICKLE Defined for English Language Learners

tickle

Definition of tickle for English Language Learners

TICKLE Defined for Kids

tickle

Definition of tickle for Students

tickle

Definition of tickle for Students

Medical Dictionary

tickle

medical Definition of tickle

tickle

medical Definition of tickle

Learn More about tickle

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