- present participle of lick.
licking
Americannoun
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Informal.
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a beating or thrashing.
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a reversal or disappointment; defeat or setback.
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the act of a person or thing that licks.
noun
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a beating
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a defeat
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of licking
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at lick, -ing 1
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.
And it isn’t just SpaceX, but also Anthropic and OpenAI and the unceasing chatter and licking of chops over the mind-bending explosion of intergenerational wealth anticipated by their pending IPOs, that gives me pause.
From Barron's • May 29, 2026
But instead of attacking, the smaller ants climb onto the bigger ones and begin licking and nibbling across their bodies.
From Science Daily • Apr. 14, 2026
England will be licking their lips at the opportunity to bounce back against Ireland on Saturday.
From BBC • Feb. 15, 2026
Lower rates would be welcome news for tech investors, who are still licking their wounds from the past week.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 9, 2026
The animal just smiled at her, licking his lips.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
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.
