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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of prick
Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 4 Dec. 2025
She was connected to an IV with insulin, her fingers repeatedly pricked to test blood glucose.
—Jan Goldsmith, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Oct. 2025
The curious cats will keep their eyes wide open and ears pricked forward.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Oct. 2025
Citing the French Interior Ministry, Le Monde reported that 145 people across France reported being pricked.
—Liam Quinn, People.com, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for prick
Verb
Beyond the myriad complications that come with diabetes, patients have to additionally put up with regular blood sugar testing – which involves either multiple pin pricks a day to draw blood or wearing a continuous glucose monitor patch that needs to be replaced every couple of weeks.
—Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 4 Dec. 2025
She was connected to an IV with insulin, her fingers repeatedly pricked to test blood glucose.
—Jan Goldsmith, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Oct. 2025
The curious cats will keep their eyes wide open and ears pricked forward.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Oct. 2025
Citing the French Interior Ministry, Le Monde reported that 145 people across France reported being pricked.
—Liam Quinn, People.com, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for prick
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prick
Noun
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Rattlesnake bite symptoms include puncture wounds, swelling, bleeding, pain, agitation or depression, according to UC Davis.—
Don Sweeney
April 21,
Sacbee.com,
21 Apr. 2026
-
In early March, a woman found bruises, scratches and a puncture wound on her 8-year-old autistic son after a day at his Christian school in Hialeah.—
Milena Malaver,
Miami Herald,
18 Apr. 2026
Noun
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That process helps encourage gentle cell turnover without irritation, while both pomegranate and pear ferments bring a soft, enzyme-like exfoliation to the mix, giving you that smoother, glowier look—just without the tingle.—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
22 Apr. 2026
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O’Neal wrote about delinquents – characters whose exploits, their power, induced a creeping tingle on the back of your neck.—
Courtney Crowder,
USA Today,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Korda ended her victory by holing a lengthy par putt and cannonballing into the pool installed off the 18th green at Memorial Park, alongside her team and family.—
Gabby Herzig,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
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Hannah Green won the JM Eagle LA Championship on Sunday for the third time in first four years and the first at El Caballero, holing a 12-foot birdie putt on the first extra hole after a back-nine comeback.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Mary Jannotta sliced meat and cheese behind deli counters at Acme and Pathmark supermarkets in the Philadelphia suburbs for decades, developing aches that came with working on her feet.—
Craig R. McCoy,
CNN Money,
24 Apr. 2026
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Growing up, Curp wrestled with fatigue and aches, not only on her skin, but also in her joints.—
Xitlalic Montelongo,
Miami Herald,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Little about the New England Patriots’ last three weeks has been boring.—
Chad Graff,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
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And the fact that people pay money to stand around for four hours, or more, to watch a press conference is a remarkable testament to sports fans’ willingness to be bored as long as football is tangentially involved.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
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At a recent sleepover, my 15-year-old son and his 14-year-old friend Charlie, driven by a pang of nostalgia, chose to watch the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics on YouTube.—
Luba Kassova,
Fortune,
1 Apr. 2026
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What Brooks proffers is not the philosophy these queries require but a kind of pharmacology—a pill designed to alleviate every last pang.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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
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Retatrutide has shown similar side effects, as well as a prickling sensation known as dysesthesia.—
Meg Tirrell,
CNN Money,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Two boys tussling over a bladder in a three-foot-high canvas painted by Joseph Wright of Derby in the late 1760s snarl up in a whirlpool of pain, each twisting the other’s right ear.—
Julian Bell,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
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After eating too many, my mouth burned in pain.—
Alex Beggs,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Prick.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prick. Accessed 30 Apr. 2026.
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