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
dick
2
British
/ dɪk /
noun
-
a fellow or person
-
a person who is obnoxiously opinionated or self-satisfied; know-all
-
a slang word for penis
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:
"Lennon was as friendly as could be, not flippant or jokey or clever dick, treating his young interviewer's questions with respect, which of course makes his answers interesting."
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2022
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
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
The ACM and dick clark productions announced on Tuesday that the show will return on April 18 and will air on CBS from the Grand Ole Opry House, the Ryman Auditorium and the Bluebird Cafe.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 16, 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
Or, if admissible and verified, the Senussi Files might prove once and for all what Dick Marquise and other investigators have been saying all along.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
“It’s almost cult-like,” Dick Wadhams, a former Colorado GOP chairman, said of Marx’s support.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 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
McCaslin asked lead prosecutor Creighton Waters and lead defense lawyer Dick Harpootlian to compare notes on any mutually agreeable potential sites before a second hearing, which she set for Aug. 14.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
“Billy Taylor and Dick Dallas, it’s like they wrote it with you in mind.”
From "Sparrow" by Sarah Moon
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
Feminists weren’t literally going to steal their dicks and hide them in trees, as medieval witches were said to do, but that did turn out to be a surprisingly apt metaphor for their work.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 7, 2019
"Why we leaves 'em alone an' goes to de nex' farm an' calls up K. C. an' tips off de dicks, see?"
From The Mucker by Burroughs, Edgar Rice
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.
