as in darting
to make an irregular series of quick, sudden movements
the horse's tail flicked in restless irritation
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Recent Examples of flicking
Alijah Arenas switched between his forehand shot and backhand, flicking the plastic ball over the net to his opponent, former NBA star Brandon Jennings.
—
Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 20 Jan. 2026
While the horses were flicking sand like fireworks.
—Literary Hub, 15 Jan. 2026
In the example below, Matty Cash is pressed and goes long to Rogers, who, surrounded by three Tottenham players, deftly cushions the ball on his chest before flicking it back to John McGinn.
—Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
The reptile reacts to being picked up by flicking its meaty tail back and forth, whacking a few of the deputies.
—Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 5 Dec. 2025
While a wagging dog’s tail might indicate excitement or friendliness, a flicking cat’s tail can signal irritation.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Oct. 2025
Only the paintings bore witness to her intense, solitary writing sessions, conducted in the studio by night, Stein flicking the pages of her notebooks with hardly a pause, until dawn birdsong disturbed her concentration.
—Francesca Wade, Air Mail, 4 Oct. 2025
For the Taliban, the episode possibly carries the lesson that attempting to turn back time on a population that’s grown up with the internet is much harder than just flicking a switch.
—Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2025
Any dairy farmer can tell you that biting flies are a pestilent scourge for cattle herds, which is why one so often sees cows throwing their heads, stamping their feet, flicking their tails, and twitching their skin—desperately trying to shake off the nasty creatures.
—ArsTechnica, 18 Sep. 2025
Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 20 Jan. 2026
While the horses were flicking sand like fireworks.
—Literary Hub, 15 Jan. 2026
In the example below, Matty Cash is pressed and goes long to Rogers, who, surrounded by three Tottenham players, deftly cushions the ball on his chest before flicking it back to John McGinn.
—Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
The reptile reacts to being picked up by flicking its meaty tail back and forth, whacking a few of the deputies.
—Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 5 Dec. 2025
While a wagging dog’s tail might indicate excitement or friendliness, a flicking cat’s tail can signal irritation.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Oct. 2025
Only the paintings bore witness to her intense, solitary writing sessions, conducted in the studio by night, Stein flicking the pages of her notebooks with hardly a pause, until dawn birdsong disturbed her concentration.
—Francesca Wade, Air Mail, 4 Oct. 2025
For the Taliban, the episode possibly carries the lesson that attempting to turn back time on a population that’s grown up with the internet is much harder than just flicking a switch.
—Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2025
Any dairy farmer can tell you that biting flies are a pestilent scourge for cattle herds, which is why one so often sees cows throwing their heads, stamping their feet, flicking their tails, and twitching their skin—desperately trying to shake off the nasty creatures.
—ArsTechnica, 18 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flicking
Verb
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Tracking each bear over the ice with helicopters and periodically darting them to take body measurements on the ground, the researchers were able to estimate the animals’ overall physical health—a metric called body condition index, or BCI.—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen,
Scientific American,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Chirring insects, cool eels, darting dice snakes in the Volga delta.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Here’s what to do to get rid of pesky moths flitting around indoors.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
25 Jan. 2026
-
Men have been doing it for decades, flitting between the low-brow and the high-brow without losing any of their Serious Actor sheen in the process.—
Sam Reed,
Glamour,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The hand in motion, the fluttering scarf, the sparkling outfit.—
JD Barker,
Rolling Stone,
9 Feb. 2026
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Nothing sparks a team quite like killing off a five-on-three, and Canada scored in transition just 14 seconds after Fast was freed, as Kristin O’Neill batted in a fluttering Fast rebound for a 1-0 lead.—
Hailey Salvian,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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To mark the third anniversary of his death, Holker in December shared clips of the pair dancing together and photos of them with their children.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
13 Feb. 2026
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Whether at Artistic Edge Dance Centre in Hartland or on a competition stage, Jay Ramos-Rivera is constantly dancing.—
Bridget Fogarty,
jsonline.com,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flicking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flicking. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
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