flick

[flik]

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noun

a sudden light blow or tap, as with a whip or the finger: She gave the horse a flick with her riding crop.

the sound made by such a blow or tap.

a light and rapid movement: a flick of the wrist.

something thrown off with or as if with a jerk: a flick of mud.

verb (used with object)

to strike lightly with a whip, the finger, etc.

to remove with such a stroke: to flick away a crumb.

to move (something) with a sudden stroke or jerk.

verb (used without object)

to move with a jerk or jerks.

to flutter.

Origin of flick

1400–50; late Middle English flykke; apparently imitative

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for flicked

snap, tap, flip, tip, flicker, hit, dab, pat

Examples from the Web for flicked

Contemporary Examples of flicked

It looked like Halloween when I flicked the light on in the bathroom.
Dealing With Dad the Dealer
Tony Doukopil
April 9, 2014
Louis threw himself on the sofa and flicked at flies with his eternal riding-whip.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show
Robert W. Chambers
February 20, 2014
He holstered his gun, flicked a hand at the rusty iron bars in the soil.
The Ballad of Johnny France
Richard Ben Cramer
January 12, 2014
She flicked off the press photographers after winning Best Actress.
How Jennifer Lawrence Took Over Hollywood. (It’s Not Just Because of Her Charm.)
Kevin Fallon
December 20, 2013
At the end, the two embraced and Eminem flicked off the crowd, a middle-finger mea culpa.
Eminem’s Homophobic ‘Rap God’ Lyrics Are Getting a Free Pass
Kevin Fallon
October 18, 2013

Historical Examples of flicked

He flicked the ashes from his cigar, nursing his knee with the other hand.
The Underdog
F. Hopkinson Smith
Lorenzi drew a ring from his finger and flicked it across the table.
Casanova's Homecoming
Arthur Schnitzler
So I took my fishing-rod and flicked it at him, and there—I had caught the eel after all!
W. A. G.'s Tale
Margaret Turnbull
Roger flicked the ash from his cigarette and coughed slightly.
Changing Winds
St. John G. Ervine
Nevertheless he gave a vicious snap with his fingers as he flicked them in the air.
The Night Riders
Ridgwell Cullum

British Dictionary definitions for flicked

flick

verb

(tr) to touch with or as if with the finger or hand in a quick jerky movement

(tr) to propel or remove by a quick jerky movement, usually of the fingers or handto flick a piece of paper at someone

to move or cause to move quickly or jerkily

(intr foll by through) to read or look at (a book, newspaper, etc) quickly or idly

to snap or click (the fingers) to produce a sharp sound

noun

a tap or quick stroke with the fingers, a whip, etc

the sound made by such a stroke

a fleck, streak, or particle

give someone the flick informal to dismiss someone from consideration

Word Origin for flick

C15: of imitative origin; compare French flicflac

flick

noun slang

a cinema film

the flicks the cinemawhat's on at the flicks tonight?

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

Word Origin and History for flicked

flick

1816, from flick (n.); meaning "quick turn of the wrist" is from 1897, originally in cricket. Related: Flicked; flicking.

flick

mid-15c., probably imitative of a light blow with a whip. Earliest recorded use is in phrase not worth a flykke "useless." As slang for "film," it is first attested 1926, a back-formation from flicker (v.), from their flickering appearance.