prick 1 of 2

noun

ˈprik How to pronounce prick (audio)
Definition of pricknext
1
as in puncture
a mark or small hole made by a pointed instrument the immunization shot left a prick on my arm that turned into a bruise

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in tingle
a sharp unpleasant sensation usually felt in some specific part of the body she felt a sharp prick when the nurse gave her the shot

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

prick

2 of 2

verb

as in to hole

Related Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for prick
  1. puncture
  2. tingle
  3. hole
  4. ache
  5. bore
  6. pang
  7. prickle
  8. pain
Noun
  • Clenney claimed to have thrown the knife at Obumseli from a distance of over 10 feet, but prosecutors say an autopsy revealed a puncture wound so deep it could only have been caused by an up-close and personal stabbing.
    — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 10 Aug. 2026
  • According to the Mayo Clinic, Pilonidal disease usually occurs when hair punctures and embeds itself in a pocket of skin near the tailbone.
    — Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of puncture
Noun
  • Fruit extracts clarify excess oil and buildup, while a cooling mint complex and menthol deliver a refreshing tingle, leaving your scalp feeling clean, balanced, and freshly reset.
    — Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 18 June 2026
  • In the case of Putnam County, that tingle is a roar — our collective sense that the fraud there goes back decades.
    — Paul Solotaroff, Rolling Stone, 9 June 2026
Definition of tingle
Verb
  • Lucas Glover kept another clean card by holing a 12-foot par putt on his final hole for a 6-under 65 to take a two-shot lead Friday in the John Deere Classic.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 July 2026
  • Upgrade a Laundry Room Vent holes in a laundry room might call to mind a traditional airing cupboard, but perhaps counterintuitively, that term actually refers to a heated cupboard for keeping towels dry rather than one in which air freely circulates.
    — Monika Biegler Eyers, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 June 2026
Definition of hole
Noun
  • December 21 - January 19) Honing in on aches, pains, or anxieties?
    — USA TODAY, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Mild symptoms may include fever, muscle aches, nausea, tiredness, vomiting and diarrhea.
    — Cindy Krischer Goodman, Sun Sentinel, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of ache
Verb
  • Outdoor brands like Halfdays, FP Movement, Patagonia, and Athleta have quite frankly never looked better, with cheerful colorways, unique designs, and trail-ready pieces all proving that function doesn’t have to mean boring.
    — Jessica Chapel, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Aug. 2026
  • That said, woodpeckers are attracted to other types of wood-boring insects, and woodpecker activity doesn’t always indicate that borers are present.
    — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of bore
Noun
  • Statements by government lawyers that contradict the official White House line are not merely the results of pangs of conscience.
    — David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 28 July 2026
  • Curtin admits to feeling a small pang when a guest drinks only water throughout the meal.
    — Noel Burgess, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
Definition of pang
Verb
  • Initial symptoms of rabies include flu-like illness including weakness or discomfort, fever, or headache, and discomfort, prickling, or an itching sensation at the site of the bite.
    — Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 3 Aug. 2026
  • As Luke walks off, his shirt undone and his furry belly prickling in the desert cold, Danny turns and stares out into the backyard.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2026
Definition of prickle
Noun
  • Side effects included injection-site reactions such as pain, tenderness and swollen lymph nodes; fatigue; headache; muscle or joint pain; nausea or vomiting; and fever.
    — Elise Haulund, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The King imprisons the miller’s daughter in a room and orders her to prove her magical ability under pain of death.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of pain
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.

Phrases Containing prick

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pricing
prick
pricked
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Cite this Entry

“Prick.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prick. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.

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