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
  • Even in the bathrooms, the toilet and bidet are concealed inside a kind of Travertine bench and the showerhead pokes out from a monolithic stone slab.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Aug. 2026
  • This is strong language, which pokes at our tribal memory of gasoline shortages from the 1970’s.
    — George Calhoun, Forbes.com, 31 July 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
  • An ice sculpture of a heart includes a tube through the ice arrow that pierces the heart.
    — Peter Larsen, Oc Register, 10 July 2026
  • And who the f--- pierces a 12 year old?
    — Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 24 May 2026
Definition of pierces
Noun
  • The two have repeatedly clashed over immigration, tariffs, taxes, crime, homelessness, wildfire recovery, transgender policies, and the role of the federal government, often trading barbs on social media and in public appearances.
    — Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 4 Aug. 2026
  • The Democratic opponents have traded barbs over spending from pro-Israel groups, including after a contentious July 27 debate.
    — Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of barbs
Verb
  • For van Ess, the decision particularly stings because Google Earth has long been regarded as one of the best tools to verify information posted on social media.
    — Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 31 July 2026
  • The female locates and stings a large insect such as a cicada or katydid and then brings it back to the burrow.
    — Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 26 July 2026
Definition of stings
Noun
  • So now, more than a year later, and after hitting several snags along the way, the election-date change proposal has finally landed on the ballot, labeled Miami Referendum 1.
    — Tess Riski July 31, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026
  • Although viewed as a bar-setter, the Eagles could hit a few snags this season.
    — Mike Jones, New York Times, 22 July 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 8 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on prickles

Nglish: Translation of prickles for Spanish Speakers

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