Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

Thesaurus

licking

noun

Synonyms and Antonyms of licking

failure to win a contest
  • Our team took a licking last night, but we'll get them next time!
Synonyms of licking

beating, defeat, drubbing, loss, lump, overthrow, plastering, rout, shellacking, trimming, trouncing, whipping
Words Related to licking

collapse, debacle (also débâcle), failure, fiasco, fizzle, flop, nonsuccess, setback, upset

lurch, shutout, washout, whitewash
Near Antonyms of licking

accomplishment, achievement

blowout, cakewalk, landslide, romp, runaway, sweep, walkaway, walkover
Antonyms of licking

success, triumph, victory, win

Learn More about licking

  1. Dictionary: Definition of licking Nglish: Translation of licking for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of licking for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about licking

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up licking? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

garrulous

play

talkative or wordy

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. embolization 'the process by which a blood vessel or organ is obstructed by a material mass'

  2. oleaginous 'marked by an offensively ingratiating manner or quality'

  3. pansexual 'sexual desire or attraction...not limited to a particular gender identity or sexual orientation'

  4. symbiote 'an organism living in symbiosis'

  5. charlatan 'faker or fraud'

SEE ALL

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

image564383649
12 Words from All Over the Map

Some words say exactly where they're from

alt-5b032d1aef0e9
'Ingenious' and 'Ingenuous': More Than a Typo

One's clever, the other's like a child

alt-5b0310daaafde
A Matter-of-Fact Look at 'Deadpan'

Surely we can be serious.

image1481409085
9 Words from the Magical Realm

When language is magic

Ask the Editors

video-ghost-words
Ghost Word

The story of an imaginary word that managed to sneak past our editors and enter the dictionary.

image1760257654
2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

How we chose 'feminism'

video-literally
Literally

How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts.

video-his-or-her
Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

The awkward case of 'his or her'

Word Games

image1676440788
Words Used by Nabokov Quiz

How familiar are you with Nabokov’s unfamiliar vocabulary?

Take the quiz
cow-coming-home
Farm Idioms Quiz

Not your children's farm quiz.

Take the quiz
True or False
True or False?

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

Take the quiz
Syn City
Syn City

Build a city of skyscrapers—one synonym at a time.

Play the game