1
as in punctures
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
Relevance
2
as in pains
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pricks
Noun
-
Attenborough communicated with the tribe using gestures, looked at their personal ornaments and enquired about the pegs in the ritual punctures in the nose of one of the men.—
Amarachi Orie,
CNN Money,
8 May 2026 -
The pay reality punctures that myth entirely.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Common symptoms people experience are headaches, muscle aches, serious fevers, coughing, chest pains, shortness of breath and nausea, according to Kaiser Permanente.—
Noe Padilla,
USA Today,
7 May 2026
-
The pains and pleasures of family life are top of mind for her.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
Space the planting holes 18 to 24 inches apart and space rows 3 to 6 feet apart.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
4 May 2026
-
The flight attendants then attempted to solve the problem by shoving napkins inside the ceiling holes.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
2 May 2026
Noun
-
However, there’s usually an honor code with that – nothing else but punches and giving the fight crowd a show.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
10 May 2026
-
Reigns hit a pair of Superman punches, but Fatu hit a kick.—
Blake Oestriecher,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2026
Noun
-
The book cover trend, imbued with nostalgia for childhood, promises fiction that grapples with the pangs of adulthood in an age of precarity.—
Maddie Connors,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Minnesota fans may have had some mild pangs over parting with Buium or Rossi, but a mid- to late-20s pick for arguably the best defenseman on the planet?—
Sean McIndoe,
New York Times,
11 Mar. 2026
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
Noun
-
Researchers suggested that future studies should include people who actually experience tingles to better understand how ASMR might help with mental health and relaxation.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
For instance, if a textbook bores you, try watching a documentary!—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
6 Mar. 2026
-
The invasive beetle bores into wood and kills ash trees by eating tissues under the bark.—
Caitlin Looby,
jsonline.com,
23 Jan. 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Pricks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pricks. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
