dick
noun
a detective.
dick
1 American
[dik]
/ dɪk /
noun
Slang.
dicks
plural
-
Older Use. a detective.
-
Vulgar. penis.
-
Vulgar. a stupid, mean, or contemptible person, especially a man.
Dick
2
American
[dik]
/ dɪk /
noun
-
George Frederick, 1881–1967, U.S. internist.
-
Philip K., 1928–82, U.S. science-fiction writer.
-
a male given name, form of Richard.
dick
1
British
/ dɪk /
noun
-
a fellow or person
-
a person who is obnoxiously opinionated or self-satisfied; know-all
-
a slang word for penis
dick
2
British
/ dɪk /
noun
Dick
Scientific
/ dĭk /
Dick
Idioms
Usage
The third sense of this word was formerly considered to be taboo and it was labelled as such in previous editions of Collins English Dictionary . However, it has now become acceptable in speech, although some older or more conservative people may object to its use
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of dick
First recorded in 1545–55; generic use of the name Dick ( def. )
Explanation
Dick is a vulgar slang word for a penis. It's also an insulting thing to call someone you don't like, especially a boy or man. Much like ass, this word for a below-the-belt body part is very commonly used as an insult meaning pretty much "jerk" or "idiot." Only males have dicks, and this insult is usually used toward a guy who is "acting like a dick." Lots of people find this word offensive, especially parents, teachers, and other adults. If you have to discuss a dick, you're better off saying penis or using a slang word that's sillier and less offensive, like johnson.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Buttery says there are some we probably recognise the names of but probably couldn't describe in detail and wouldn't really cook any more - like spotted dick.
From BBC ● Apr. 17, 2026
My biggest beef with Forgotten Land is that, as a heretofore non-Kirby player, Kirby kinda comes off as a dick.
From The Verge ● Mar. 23, 2022
With the announcement on Thursday by the ACM, dick clark productions and CBS, Guyton will make history as the first Black woman to host the country awards show.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 11, 2021
The Academy of Country Music, dick clark productions, and CBS announced the nominations on Friday, which honors some of the biggest talent and rising stars within country music.
From Fox News ● Feb. 26, 2021
In literature and in the popular imagination, the all-seeing private eye—the gumshoe, the cinder dick, the sleuthhound, the shadow—displaced the crusading sheriff as the archetype of rough justice.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
“In working with Dick Wolf on NBC, directors would schedule him at the end of the day because they knew it wouldn’t take long.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
President Gerald Ford was on vacation in Vail, Colorado, but an adviser briefed the new White House chief of staff, Dick Cheney.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
Skyline CEO Dick Williams said he considers Spence a friend, and that the bank wanted more dining options as it moved more employees back to its downtown footprint.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
Dick Kay, Deloitte China's capital market services group leader, said that officials had cracked down on brokers to steer investors towards trading through compliant channels, which are more "manageable".
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
It was the autumn of 1952 and Tricky Dick, then a Senator from California, had just been selected as the Republican vice presidential candidate for that November’s election.
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
Other types of plants — bulbs and perennial herbs like blue dicks, onions and larkspur — are “starting to ramp up” now, she said.
From New York Times ● Apr. 21, 2023
Flowers include “desert dandelions, blue dicks, desert or wild parsley, and red maids,” according to the parks department, as well as blooming Joshua trees and bladderpod.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 7, 2023
The coverups, private dicks, badgering lawyers, statements that promise one thing followed by the opposite: These are behaviors that happened in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and beyond.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 4, 2022
It celebrates that glorious moment when you get to the end of school and realise that the people you always thought of as dicks, jocks, geeks, or whatever, are actually all right.
From The Guardian ● May 27, 2019
"Youse'll pardon me if I keeps de spot-light on youse," drawled Larry the Bat, "Some of youse dicks ain't trustworthy."
From The Further Adventures of Jimmie Dale by Packard, Frank L. (Frank Lucius)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
