cowlick

[ kou-lik ]
See synonyms for cowlick on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a tuft of hair that grows in a direction different from that of the rest of the hair.

Origin of cowlick

1
First recorded in 1590–1600; cow1 + lick

Words Nearby cowlick

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use cowlick in a sentence

  • Though humans’ nearly hairless bodies stick out like a cowlick among other primates, our nakedness isn’t unique in the world of mammals.

  • He chuckled immoderately and pressed his cowlick down, which defiant tuft popped instantly back to its position of attention.

    The Red Debt | Everett MacDonald
  • This hair was his pride and sorrow: it defied him in a brilliant cowlick until plastered flat with water.

    The Streets of Ascalon | Robert W. Chambers
  • From the top of his forehead to the cowlick on the back of his head ran a broad white scar.

    The Goose Girl | Harold MacGrath
  • Trousers may be brought to order in a few minutes, but to subdue a cowlick is a matter of years.

    Skippy Bedelle | Owen Johnson
  • Overtop thought pleasantly of her, and combed back his intractable cowlick.

    Round the Block | John Bell Bouton

British Dictionary definitions for cowlick

cowlick

/ (ˈkaʊˌlɪk) /


noun
  1. a tuft of hair over the forehead

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012