prick

American  

[prik] / prɪk /

noun

• pricks
  plural

1. a puncture made by a needle, thorn, or the like.

2. a sharp point; prickle.

3. the act of pricking.

   the prick of a needle.

4. the state or sensation of being pricked.

5. a sharp pain caused by or as if by being pricked; twinge.

6. the pointed end of a prickspur.

7. Slang: Vulgar.

   1. penis.

   2. an obnoxious or contemptible person.

8. Archaic. a goad for oxen.

9. Obsolete. a small or minute mark, a dot, or a point.

10. Obsolete. any pointed instrument or weapon.

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verb (used with object)

• pricks,
  present (3rd person singular)
• pricked,
  past participle,  past
• pricking
  present participle

1. to pierce with a sharp point; puncture.

2. to affect with sharp pain, as from piercing.

3. to cause sharp mental pain to; sting, as with remorse, anger, etc..

   His conscience pricked him.

4. to urge on with or as if with a goad or spur.

   My duty pricks me on.

5. to mark (a surface) with pricks or dots in tracing something.

6. to mark or trace (something) on a surface by pricks or dots.

7. to cause to stand erect or point upward (usually followed byup ).

   The dog pricked his ears at the sound of the bell.

8. Farriery.

   1. to lame (a horse) by driving a nail improperly into its hoof.

   2. to nick.

      to prick a horse's tail.

9. to measure (distance, the size of an area, etc.) on a chart with dividers (usually followed byoff ).

10. Horticulture. to transplant (a seedling) into a container that provides more room for growth (usually followed by out oroff ).

verb (used without object)

• pricks,
  present (3rd person singular)
• pricked,
  past participle,  past
• pricking
  present participle

1. to perform the action of piercing or puncturing something.

2. to have a sensation of being pricked.

3. to spur or urge a horse on; ride rapidly.

4. to rise erect or point upward, as the ears of an animal (usually followed byup ).

idioms

1. kick against the pricks, to resist incontestable facts or authority; protest uselessly.

   In appealing the case again, you will just be kicking against the pricks.

2. prick up one's ears, to become very alert; listen attentively.

   The reporter pricked up his ears at the prospect of a scoop.

prick British  

/ prɪk /

verb

1. 1. to make (a small hole) in (something) by piercing lightly with a sharp point

   2. to wound in this manner

2. (intr) to cause or have a piercing or stinging sensation

3. to cause to feel a sharp emotional pain

   knowledge of such poverty pricked his conscience

4. to puncture or pierce

5. to mark, delineate, or outline by dots or punctures

6. to rise or raise erect; point

   the dog pricked his ears up at his master's call

7. to transplant (seedlings) into a larger container

8. (often foll by off) nautical to measure or trace (a course, distance, etc) on a chart with dividers

9. archaic to rouse or impel; urge on

10. archaic (intr) to ride fast on horseback; spur a horse on

11. to start to listen attentively; become interested

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noun

1. the act of pricking or the condition or sensation of being pricked

2. a mark made by a sharp point; puncture

3. a sharp emotional pain resembling the physical pain caused by being pricked

   a prick of conscience

4. a taboo slang word for penis

5. slang an obnoxious or despicable man

6. an instrument or weapon with a sharp point, such as a thorn, goad, bee sting, etc

7. the footprint or track of an animal, esp a hare

8. obsolete a small mark caused by pricking a surface; dot; point

9. to hurt oneself by struggling against something in vain

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• pricker
  noun
• unpricked
  adjective
• prickingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• pricks
  plural

Participles

• pricking
  present
• pricked
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• prick
  simple
• pricks
  simple
• have pricked
  perfect
• has pricked
  perfect
• am pricking
  progressive
• are pricking
  progressive
• is pricking
  progressive
• have been pricking
  perfect progressive
• has been pricking
  perfect progressive

Past

• pricked
  simple
• had pricked
  perfect
• was pricking
  progressive
• were pricking
  progressive
• had been pricking
  perfect progressive

Future

• will prick
  simple
• will have pricked
  perfect
• will be pricking
  progressive
• will have been pricking
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of prick

before 1000; (noun) Middle English prike; Old English prica, price dot, point; (v.) Middle English priken, Old English prician; cognate with Dutch, Low German prik point

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Explanation

If you pierce your skin with a thorn, needle, or similar sharp object, you prick your skin. The mark it leaves on you is also called a prick. You can also use prick to describe the sensation of tears welling — your favorite sad movie might make tears prick your eyes. Your conscience can prick you as well, when it makes you feel uncomfortable about something. Prick is also a vulgar term for a man's penis and a way to address someone (usually a man) who is acting like a total ass. It is best not to use these terms in polite company.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

prick pricks pricked pricking

It was popularized by a famous Barron’s article in March 2000 that helped prick the bubble.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026

When experiencing either emotion, everything — be it a piece of news, the prick of a finger, a conversation with a loved one living thousands of miles away — is magnified.

From Salon ● Jun. 29, 2026

The Scottish Newborn Screening Laboratory in Glasgow tests about 50,000 heel prick samples every year.

From BBC ● Mar. 22, 2026

Older participants regained motor strength and sensory abilities, such as feeling light touch or a pin prick, at levels similar to younger individuals.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 3, 2026

It did not prick my conscience to know that I had been doing something wrong.

From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood

The pupils in his milky blue eyes shrink to pin pricks.

From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026

Aigul Khismatullina, Queen of the Night, impresses with the silvery pricks of her high notes, while Kwangchul Youn’s Sarastro, unsteady in middle register, takes on weight at the bottom of his bass.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026

The new needle-free technology is expected to reduce the risk of cross-contamination, needle pricks, accidental infections and unsafe disposal of contaminated needles.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 5, 2024

You could consider getting one shot in each arm if you want to avoid the discomfort of two needle pricks in the same arm.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 12, 2023

It swelled into a thumping beat that sent needle pricks down my arms, like they were recovering from falling asleep.

From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia

Indonesian villager Octavius wades through the forest in rubber boots and tattered joggers, ears pricked, eyes peeled, a telephoto lens on his phone primed to capture orangutans, monkeys or birds.

From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026

In a story in “Ladies’ Lunch,” an old woman, disheveled after an outing, looks in a mirror and sees “what Diane Arbus might have seen. She gazed, appalled, and being appalled pricked her interest.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 2026

At last, after three pricked fingers, I managed to fill the paper outline with red.

From Slate ● May 28, 2025

"Even coming up the hill, he heard the crowd and pricked his ears - he had loads left."

From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2025

Her needle pricked her fingers, and when her blood dripped, she stitched it into the red peonies.

From "When the Sea Turned to Silver" by Grace Lin

That’s where it started when I was pricking that bubble of comedians who think they’re changing the world.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2025

It is only then, once you are still, that a now low, whipping wind, riddled with sand begins pricking and abrading your skin and collecting in the pages of your novel; it is intolerable.

From Salon ● Apr. 25, 2025

The authors found that the three variants were associated with a lower pain threshold in response to skin pricking after prior exposure to mustard oil, but not in response to heat or pressure.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 10, 2023

The current gold standard test—only conducted in specialized allergy clinics—involves pricking the skin and injecting a small amount of penicillin.

From Scientific American ● Oct. 5, 2023

He was pricking out an arrow-pierced heart on the sailor boy’s arm.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith

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