1
as in blow
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument
gave the ball a solid lick with the bat
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in splash
a very small amount
the soup needs just a lick more of salt
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in damn
the smallest amount or part imaginable
you haven't done a lick of work all day
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in to hide
to strike repeatedly
your father will lick you good if he hears you using swear words
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to master
to achieve a victory over
he's determined to do everything he can to lick the cancer
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of lick
Tom Roland, Billboard, 28 Aug. 2025
Hopefully that was worth it — because quarterback Tua Tagovailoa took his fair share of licks in the process.
—Miami Herald, 24 Aug. 2025
Moná Thomas, People.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Common symptoms include excessive scratching, licking, ear infections, and digestive issues.
—Kasey Caminiti, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lick
Noun
By the time Rosen arrived, Copperman had put a beat behind the guitar lick, and the rest of the day’s writing crew – including artist-writer Ross Ellis – was already toying with it.
—Tom Roland, Billboard, 28 Aug. 2025
Hopefully that was worth it — because quarterback Tua Tagovailoa took his fair share of licks in the process.
—Miami Herald, 24 Aug. 2025
Verb
When asked the question, the owl takes the lollipop and licks it three times before chomping down on its hard shell exterior and handing the stick back to the child.
—Moná Thomas, People.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Common symptoms include excessive scratching, licking, ear infections, and digestive issues.
—Kasey Caminiti, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lick
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lick
Noun
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Such a move would not only disrupt the 170 million Americans who use the app but also deal a major blow to the creator economy, which relies heavily on TikTok for income and audience growth.—
Katie Salcius,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Losing wing-back Liberato Cacace — so impressive alongside Callum Doyle down that flank at Millwall a fortnight ago — to injury was a huge blow.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Right now, the studio seems focused on delivering quality, memorable, and creative games that people want to play not just because of the brand name splash screen that will appear before the main menu.—
David Jagneaux,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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And the American redstart — a jetblack little fellow with orange splashes — pretty much stopped breeding here in the early 2000s.—
Ari Daniel,
NPR,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Even for those in the North who didn’t care a damn for the four million held in brutal bondage, or those who wanted a soft, conciliatory approach, the war began to take on new and moral meaning.—
Jack Sheehan
September 4,
Literary Hub,
4 Sep. 2025
-
At the start, the project required building a damn to drain the water from the facade.—
Sofia Celeste,
Footwear News,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The most notorious, in 1978, saw the late queen hide behind a bush in the gardens of Buckingham Palace to avoid Nicolae Ceaușescu, having already removed anything that the Romanian dictator could steal from his room following a warning from Giscard d'Estaing, the then French president.—
Ian King,
CNBC,
17 Sep. 2025
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Other newborns were given away by their grandparents who conspired with doctors, priests and nuns to hide a daughter’s socially embarrassing pregnancy.—
Rafael Romo,
CNN Money,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Operating at the Frontier If yesterday’s winners mastered the deal model, tomorrow’s winners will master integration, culture, and execution.—
Gustaf Lundberg Toresson,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Within the first two hours online, high-level fighting players had already seemingly mastered the game’s beginner-friendly systems and begun using the easily executable combos to dominate the scene, air juggling hapless newbies into oblivion.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Together, the group dives into everything from Travis Kelce's slap incident to bold predictions for Monday Night Football.—
Tyler Everett,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
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That’s a nice surprise for those of us who are tired of pretending that rocking chairs and flickering flashlights were ever scary — but a brutal slap in the face for anyone still taking these con-artist ghost busters seriously.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Its juicy pork filling is supplemented by lightly sweet vermicelli noodles and crunchy carrot shreds.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Many folks are familiar with a version of this that includes grapes, but usually the chicken is cut or chopped into more distinct pieces or shreds.—
Ann Taylor Pittman,
Southern Living,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
After 40 minutes, his energy hasn’t flagged a whit.—
Jeff John Roberts,
Fortune,
2 July 2025
-
The most memorable offerings didn’t care a whit about product-testing strategies.—
Charles McNulty,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lick.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lick. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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