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 shred
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
Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 28 Oct. 2025
Who knows — this one might, in tiny increments, one acoustic guitar lick or exhortation to live fully at a time.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 24 Oct. 2025
Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 23 Oct. 2025
Soon, orange-red flames began to lick the wall and the roof’s open eaves.
—Ingfei Chen, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lick
Noun
Basically, if humans and robots end up battling it out one day, we won’t be surprised to see Thompson on the front lines trying to get her lick back.
—Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 28 Oct. 2025
Who knows — this one might, in tiny increments, one acoustic guitar lick or exhortation to live fully at a time.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
Collins is no doubt licking his chops studying tape of another Patriots rookie, left guard Jared Wilson, who allowed two sacks last weekend.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 23 Oct. 2025
Soon, orange-red flames began to lick the wall and the roof’s open eaves.
—Ingfei Chen, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lick
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lick
Noun
-
In the next game, Bishop delivered a blow to Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins over the middle that temporarily put him out of the game.—
Dan Pompei,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Moreno and his colleagues believe there is a small window in which to strike a deal and have proposed a longer period for open enrollment to soften the blow of premium increases.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
My search proved fruitful, so below you’ll find my top picks, including an air fryer that saves counterspace, a set of six dishcloths for $24, and a chopping gadget that also slices, grates, and shreds.—
Izzy Baskette,
PEOPLE,
27 Dec. 2025
-
Shred It For Packaging Turn used wrapping paper into pretty paper shreds for future gifts.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
25 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
But does anyone worth a damn really want to go to Madison right now?—
Manny Navarro,
New York Times,
24 Dec. 2025
-
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
Verb
-
Still seething after a sloppy 19-16 loss to the Detroit Lions, Johnson wasn’t hiding his dissatisfaction with a defeat that seemed to diminish his team’s momentum.—
Dan Wiederer,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
-
But the jury in the federal civil lawsuit found that Moore violated Gillispie's rights by hiding evidence that would have helped Gillispie's defense and creating unfair lineup procedures for the victims.—
Laura A. Bischoff,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Engineers in the United States are making serious efforts to ensure that humanoid robots master self-balancing and offer precision in conducting multiple types of tasks.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Jonathan Bailey has mastered the art of capturing hearts.—
Julie Jordan,
PEOPLE,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Greenstein and Goldberg tried — and failed — to dissuade their boss from giving Will Smith and his company Westbrook an overall deal with the studio, arguing that the Oscar-slap controversy and a dodgy box office track record would result in more headaches than hits.—
Tatiana Siegel,
Variety,
4 Nov. 2025
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That included two stellar stops in the waning seconds of the third with Carolina on the power play, rebuffing a slap shot and then blocking the rebound with his leg pad.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
This ruling is a big splash as NASCAR and plaintiff teams 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports gear up for trial in Charlotte to punctuate a lawsuit in which 23XI and FRM assert that NASCAR is a monopoly.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
5 Nov. 2025
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The trade deadline came and went for the Detroit Lions, and for a team that isn’t known for making in-season splashes, this was par for the course.—
Colton Pouncy,
New York Times,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Miss Keaton…is not a whit like the flustered ingénue she was cast to play.—
Chris Morris,
Variety,
11 Oct. 2025
-
The whit and the whoo are from different owls.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lick.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lick. Accessed 8 Jan. 2026.
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