licking

[ lik-ing ]

/ ˈlɪk ɪŋ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR licking ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Informal.

a beating or thrashing.
a reversal or disappointment; defeat or setback.

the act of a person or thing that licks.

Nearby words

Origin of licking

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at lick, -ing¹

Related formsnon·lick·ing, adjective

lick

[ lik ]

/ lɪk /

verb (used with object)

to pass the tongue over the surface of, as to moisten, taste, or eat (often followed by up, off, from, etc.): to lick a postage stamp; to lick an ice-cream cone.

to make, or cause to become, by stroking with the tongue: to lick a spoon clean.

(of waves, flames, etc.) to pass or play lightly over: The flame licked the dry timber.

Informal.

to hit or beat, especially as a punishment; thrash; whip.
to overcome or defeat, as in a fight, game, or contest.
to outdo or surpass.

verb (used without object)

to move quickly or lightly.

noun

a stroke of the tongue over something.

as much as can be taken up by one stroke of the tongue.

salt lick.

Informal.

a blow.
a brief, brisk burst of activity or energy.
a quick pace or clip; speed.
a small amount: I haven't done a lick of work all week.

Usually licks. a critical or complaining remark.

Usually licks. Jazz Slang. a musical phrase, as by a soloist in improvising.

Verb Phrases

lick up, to lap up; devour greedily.

Origin of lick

before 1000; Middle English; Old English liccian, cognate with Old Saxon liccōn, Old High German leckōn; akin to Go bilaigon, Latin lingere, Greek leíchein to lick (up)

SYNONYMS FOR lick

9a. thwack, thump, rap, slap, cuff, buffet.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR lick ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formslick·er, noun

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

Examples from the Web for licking

Tim Mathern, a longtime North Dakota state Senator came to the event thinking that it was “all about licking our wounds.”
The Left’s Answer to ALEC|Ben Jacobs|December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Marabella, now licking her lollipop and tapping her foot, appears unfazed.
Even Grade School Kids Are Protesting the Garner Killing Now|Caitlin Dickson|December 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Democratic pundits had spent hours licking their wounds vowing comeuppance.
The Booze That Saved America|Kevin Bleyer|November 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Georgia Congressman Bob Barr warned that “the flames of hedonism . . . are licking at the very foundations of our society.”
Justice Kennedy Opened the Door to Same-Sex Marriage, Will He Walk Through Next?|Geoffrey R. Stone|August 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST

It was pure good fortune that landed the Gathering in Licking County, a farm-strewn block of land east of Columbus.
A Report From the Misunderstood Gathering of the Juggalos|Steve Miller|July 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Licking up the curl, the flame gradually leaped from one piece of wood to another until the entire handful was ablaze.
Boy Scouts Mysterious Signal|G. Harvey Ralphson
Up till now they had faced being left behind, but this licking was too much.
Aladdin O'Brien|Gouverneur Morris
After the licking I went out in the yard and saw the sun in a puddle.
Mother|Maksim Gorky
Even Brigham was licking his lips and gazing at the town; and when the first bottle came out he took a long drink with the rest.
Bat Wing Bowles|Dane Coolidge
The next moment he had gobbled it up and was licking his lips in appreciation.
Followers of the Trail|Zoe Meyer

British Dictionary definitions for licking

licking

/ (ˈlɪkɪŋ) /

noun informal

a beating

a defeat

lick

/ (lɪk) /

verb

(tr) to pass the tongue over, esp in order to taste or consume

to flicker or move lightly over or round (something)the flames licked around the door

(tr) informal

to defeat or vanquish
to flog or thrash
to be or do much better than

lick into shape to put into a satisfactory condition: from the former belief that bear cubs were born formless and had to be licked into shape by their mother

lick one's lips to anticipate or recall something with glee or relish

lick one's wounds to retire after a defeat or setback in order to husband one's resources

lick the boots of See boot 1 (def. 14)

noun

an instance of passing the tongue over something

a small amounta lick of paint

Also called: salt lick a block of compressed salt or chemical matter provided for domestic animals to lick for medicinal and nutritional purposes

a place to which animals go to lick exposed natural deposits of salt

informal a hit; blow

slang a short musical phrase, usually on one instrument

informal speed; rate of movementhe was going at quite a lick when he hit it

a lick and a promise something hastily done, esp a hurried wash

Derived Formslicker, noun

Word Origin for lick

Old English liccian; related to Old High German leckon, Latin lingere, Greek leikhein

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 licking

licking

"an act of licking or lapping," late 14c., from present participle of lick (v.1); meaning "a beating" is 1756, from lick (v.2).

lick

v.2

"to beat," 1535, perhaps from figurative use of lick (v.1) in the Coverdale bible that year in sense of "defeat, annihilate" (an enemy's forces) in Num. xxii:4:

Now shal this heape licke up all that is about vs, euen as an oxe licketh vp the grasse in the field.

But to lick (of) the whip "taste punishment" is attested from mid-15c.

lick

v.1

Old English liccian "to pass the tongue over the surface, lap, lick up," from Proto-Germanic *likkon (cf. Old Saxon likkon, Dutch likken, Old High German lecchon, German lecken, Gothic bi-laigon), from PIE imitative base *leigh- (cf. Sanskrit ledhi "he licks," Armenian lizum "I lick," Greek leikhein "to lick," Latin lingere "to lick," Old Irish ligim "I lick," Welsh llwy "spoon"). French lécher is a Germanic loan word.

To lick (someone or something) into shape (1610s) is in reference to the supposed ways of bears:

Beres ben brought forthe al fowle and transformyd and after that by lyckyng of the fader and the moder they ben brought in to theyr kyndely shap. ["The Pylgremage of the Sowle," 1413]

lick

"an act of licking," c.1600, from lick (v.1). Meaning "small portion" is 1814, originally Scottish; hence U.S. colloquial sense. Sense of "place where an animal goes to lick salt" is from 1747. The jazz music sense of "short figure or solo" is by 1922.

licking

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of licking

lick

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

Verb Phrases

Origin of lick

Examples from the Web for licking

licking

noun informal

lick

verb

noun

Word Origin for lick

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