Dictionary.com

hickey

or hick·ie

[ hik-ee ]
/ ˈhɪk i /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for hickey on Thesaurus.com
noun
Slang.
  1. a pimple.
  2. a reddish mark left on the skin by a passionate kiss.
any device or gadget whose name is not known or is momentarily forgotten.
Electricity. a fitting used to mount a lighting fixture in an outlet box or on a pipe or stud.
a tool used to bend tubes and pipes.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?
His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.
His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of hickey

An Americanism dating from 1905–10 of obscure origin; senses under def. 1 perhaps a separate word, though the development “device,” from “defective device,” from “defect, blemish, mark” is also possible; cf. doohickey
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to hickey

blot, blotch, bruise, discoloration, freckle, imperfection, pimple, scar, smudge, snag, stain, stigma, wart, acne, blemish, blister, lump, birthmark, blackhead, bloom

How to use hickey in a sentence

  • Kekewich and Hickie had combined their forces at the beginning of February.

    The Great Boer War|Arthur Conan Doyle

  • In fact, but for the interest taken by General Hickie it would have been impossible.

    The Irish on the Somme|Michael MacDonagh

  • Cuthbert, seedy, was relieved by Hickie in command of the 13th Brigade to-day.

    The Doings of the Fifteenth Infantry Brigade|Edward Lord Gleichen

  • Before his fall he had despatched his staff officer, Major Hickie, to hurry up men from the rear.

    The Great Boer War|Arthur Conan Doyle

British Dictionary definitions for hickey

hickey
/ (ˈhɪkɪ) /
noun
US and Canadian informal an object or gadget: used as a name when the correct name is forgotten, etc; doodah
US and Canadian informal a mark on the skin, esp a lovebite
printing a spot on a printed sheet caused by an imperfection or a speck on the printing plate

Word Origin for hickey

C20: of unknown origin
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
FEEDBACK