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prickles 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of prickle
as in pokes
to cause or experience an unpleasant feeling that is like the feeling of having many small, sharp points against your skin The burrs were prickling my arm. The wool sweater prickled my skin.

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prickles

2 of 2

noun

plural of prickle
as in spikes

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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 prickles
Verb
An awareness of absent ancestors prickles through her writing, but at the same time, her fictional worlds feel solid and present. — Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 17 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prickles
  1. pokes
  2. spikes
  3. pierces
  4. barbs
  5. stings
  6. snags
  7. holes
  8. stickers
Verb
  • Natural light pokes through the windows, adding a trademark freshness to an indoor coliseum.
    — Alec Lewis, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Adults’s Gen-Z characters tend to see their comforts as transient, their identities as mutable, and seriousness as an annoying obligation, all of which the second season pokes at a bit.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of pokes
Noun
  • The team identified a continuous midline feature that began as a fleshy crest along the neck and trunk and transitioned over the hips into a single row of spikes running down the tail — each spike positioned over a single vertebra and fitted to each other.
    — Abhishek Bhardwaj, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2025
Definition of spikes
Verb
  • Christmas tree pins have a tiered configuration that compresses rather than pierces the ground (a win for modern synthetic or Mondo tracks).
    — Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2026
  • An ice sculpture of a heart includes a tube through the ice arrow that pierces the heart.
    — Peter Larsen, Oc Register, 10 July 2026
Definition of pierces
Noun
  • The sheriff’s office said its investigation is ongoing, as the case draws national attention and political barbs.
    — Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Yes, those were the simpler days of television — when fast cars, alternating love interests, and witty barbs were more than enough to keep us entertained.
    — Skyler Trepel, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Sep. 2026
Definition of barbs
Verb
  • There is a feeling of humiliation that stings long after an event has passed.
    — Wilbert L. Cooper, Longreads, 25 Aug. 2026
  • February 19 – March 20 Your words may show where being misunderstood still stings.
    — Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of stings
Noun
  • Gurman claims the foldable is still on track for this fall, despite chatter about manufacturing snags.
    — Kimberly Gedeon, PC Magazine, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Remove Bits and Bobs Be sure to remove pins or buckles from clothing items before placing them in the washer—zip the zippers on your clothing, close snaps and hooks, and secure Velcro to prevent snags and abrasion.
    — Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of snags
Verb
  • 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
  • Caulk holes around plumbing and sewer lines where roaches are likely to enter.
    — Arricca Elin SanSone, Southern Living, 4 June 2026
Definition of holes
Noun
  • But the prices for the vast majority of stickers are pretty low, which means that no vulture is out there buying up all the sticker packs and trying to resell them at inflated prices to impressionable children hoping to win the lottery.
    — Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 30 June 2026
Definition of stickers

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Cite this Entry

“Prickles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prickles. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

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