as in beating
failure to win a contest
our team took a licking last night, but we'll get them next time
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in pounding
to strike repeatedly
your father will lick you good if he hears you using swear words
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in defeating
to achieve a victory over
he's determined to do everything he can to lick the cancer
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of licking
Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 June 2025
The licking happens late in the first of five episodes, created by Molly Smith Metzler, based on her play Elemeno Pea.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 22 May 2025
Dan Perry, Newsweek, 19 Mar. 2025
Erotica assumes shared association, touching, stroking, licking, looking, playing, exposing.
—Lisa Wong MacAbasco, Vogue, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for licking
Noun
Relaxed licking paired with loose body language likely indicates love and contentment.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 June 2025
The licking happens late in the first of five episodes, created by Molly Smith Metzler, based on her play Elemeno Pea.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 22 May 2025
Verb
Despite her best efforts, 4-year-old Dewey eventually succeeded in wriggling his way over to the sleeping man, enthusiastically licking him awake.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 19 Mar. 2025
Erotica assumes shared association, touching, stroking, licking, looking, playing, exposing.
—Lisa Wong MacAbasco, Vogue, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for licking
Recent Examples of Synonyms for licking
Noun
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Good morning, The Padres last night took their worst beating at Petco Park since before last year’s All-Star break.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 Aug. 2025
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The update comes the same day all six individuals arrested in connection with the viral beating in downtown Cincinnati have been indicted by a grand jury and are facing additional charges.—
Julia Bonavita , Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
8 Aug. 2025
Verb
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But the unhappy ending is especially head-pounding for Saxon Ratliff (Patrick Schwarzenegger).—
Bryan Alexander,
USA TODAY,
24 Mar. 2025
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Queen finished with a team-best 17 points, but Maryland frequently settled for outside jumpers instead of pounding the ball inside to Queen and Julian Reese.—
Lindsay Schnell,
The Athletic,
24 Mar. 2025
Noun
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That’s twice as many defeats as victories in games decided by a single run.—
Dan Schlossberg,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 2025
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That game also ended up being a soul-crushing loss for the reeling Bombers, as other newbies Camilo Doval, David Bednar and José Caballero also played pivotal parts in the defeat.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
5 Aug. 2025
Verb
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But over the past two terms of the Hindu nationalist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, these vendors were accused of hiding their identity, of pretending to be Hindu.—
Ismat Ara,
TIME,
15 Mar. 2025
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Davis standing alongside Withers struck me as a classy gesture, and Withers answering for his mistake rather than hiding from the media was another.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
15 Mar. 2025
Noun
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How will Wednesday solve the mystery with her injuries and the loss of her psychic ability?—
Selome Hailu,
Variety,
7 Aug. 2025
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Kelly Clarkson is mourning the loss of her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock.—
Meghan Overdeep,
Southern Living,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Elle was also seen whipping her hands in a circle to the music during the awards ceremony.—
Stephanie Wenger,
People.com,
6 Jan. 2025
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This instant camera captures little moments and big occasions on film, which feels a little more special than whipping out an iPhone.—
Malia Griggs,
Glamour,
2 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The unit uses tools that were once the preserve of the world’s top mastering houses and is inspired by the artistry of mastering engineers.—
Mark Sparrow,
Forbes,
25 Mar. 2025
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From entry-level careers to the C-suite, mastering soft skills opens up leadership opportunities.—
Cheryl Robinson,
Forbes,
24 Mar. 2025
Noun
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This compact blade performed beautifully in our tests, easily tackling peeling, coring, and trimming tasks.—
Olivia Tarantino,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
10 July 2025
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Many of those nuts-and-bolts ward-level services like trash pickup, tree trimming and pothole repair are now centralized through citywide street grid planning and the 311 service request system.—
Jake Sheridan,
Chicago Tribune,
10 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Licking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/licking. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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