1
as in pounded
to strike repeatedly
your father will lick you good if he hears you using swear words
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in defeated
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
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of licked
When a boy had licked her neck at a party during the first week of college, a stranger!
—
Danielle Parker, CBS News, 14 Apr. 2026
There was one girl who licked doorknobs.
—Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2026
Rumor has it the fashion crowd licked the shelves clean in Paris as soon as the first designs hit stores.
—Christina Holevas, Vogue, 26 Mar. 2026
Of course, the flue was closed, so the fire licked up the walls, left a smell like the fall, like ancient smokehouses and dung.
—Literary Hub, 5 Mar. 2026
At Nadeau’s Ice Sculptures, the oldest carving factory in America, a team of former archaeologists and butchers creates ephemeral art designed to be licked, touched, and eventually, lost.
—Blair Braverman, Outside, 3 Mar. 2026
Legend has it that when Buddha was painting the sky, blue pigment dripped onto the floor and his inquisitive chow chow licked the puddle, coloring the dog’s tongue permanently.
—Andrew Norman Wilson, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
Though his injuries were severe, the sailors watched in wonder as the cat determinedly licked his wounds, then got back to work destroying the rats threatening the ship’s food stores.
—Anne Ewbank, Popular Science, 18 Feb. 2026
Ghadimi licked her lips over and over.
—Babak Dehghanpisheh, NBC news, 13 Feb. 2026
Danielle Parker, CBS News, 14 Apr. 2026
There was one girl who licked doorknobs.
—Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2026
Rumor has it the fashion crowd licked the shelves clean in Paris as soon as the first designs hit stores.
—Christina Holevas, Vogue, 26 Mar. 2026
Of course, the flue was closed, so the fire licked up the walls, left a smell like the fall, like ancient smokehouses and dung.
—Literary Hub, 5 Mar. 2026
At Nadeau’s Ice Sculptures, the oldest carving factory in America, a team of former archaeologists and butchers creates ephemeral art designed to be licked, touched, and eventually, lost.
—Blair Braverman, Outside, 3 Mar. 2026
Legend has it that when Buddha was painting the sky, blue pigment dripped onto the floor and his inquisitive chow chow licked the puddle, coloring the dog’s tongue permanently.
—Andrew Norman Wilson, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
Though his injuries were severe, the sailors watched in wonder as the cat determinedly licked his wounds, then got back to work destroying the rats threatening the ship’s food stores.
—Anne Ewbank, Popular Science, 18 Feb. 2026
Ghadimi licked her lips over and over.
—Babak Dehghanpisheh, NBC news, 13 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for licked
Verb
-
The war has jolted markets and rattled the global economy as shipping has been cut off and airstrikes have pounded military and civilian infrastructure.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Trump has long pounded the table for rate cuts and has wanted Fed Chair Jerome Powell out for years.—
Bryan Mena,
CNN Money,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Xander Bogaerts and Bryce Johnson delivered two-out RBIs as the San Diego Padres defeated the Angels 2-1 on Sunday.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Also defeated was Vladimir Putin, who especially sought an Orbán victory to keep his firewall in the EU, where Hungary had used its power to block assistance to Ukraine and sanctions against Russia; no longer.—
New York Daily News,
Twin Cities,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Those three words — which end up being alien, glamorous, and whipped — will shape their dishes.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
21 Apr. 2026
-
But Reigns whipped Punk into the barricade and continued his assault in the crowd.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
This marked just the second time Buffalo overcame a two-goal third-period deficit.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 Apr. 2026
-
Epstein said children more easily overcame fear because of their age.—
Nicole Buss,
Sacbee.com,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Nearly every time Democrats brought up the nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts over the next decade largely being created through new work requirements for enrollees, Kennedy lashed back to argue there are no cuts to Medicaid.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
22 Apr. 2026
-
As Fils-Aimé and Rubio met, heavy rain lashed metropolitan Port-au-Prince, where several streets were flooded, making traffic difficult and disrupting residents’ daily activities.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The new Play Dead vault releases, like the rest of the vault, have been curated by Lemieux and mastered by David Glasser.—
Mike Snider,
USA Today,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Richard Dodd had originally mastered the record way back when.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Before the blaze, the city Department of Buildings slapped a partial vacate order on the address because the owner had subdivided the second and third floors into multiple dwellings, officials said.—
Julian Roberts-Grmela,
New York Daily News,
9 Apr. 2026
-
In August last year, Washington slapped a 50% tariff on Indian goods, making exports uncompetitive.—
Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Spartans took a 1-0 lead in the first on a two-out single by Hannah Estrada.—
Dan Albano,
Oc Register,
24 Apr. 2026
-
General manager Joe Hortiz and Jim Harbaugh wisely took him.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Licked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/licked. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
