tickle

[ tik-uhl ]

/ ˈtɪk əl /

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See synonyms for: tickle / tickled / tickling on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), tick·led, tick·ling.

to touch or stroke lightly with the fingers, a feather, etc., so as to excite a tingling or itching sensation in; titillate.

to poke some sensitive part of the body so as to excite spasmodic laughter.

to excite agreeably; gratify: to tickle someone's vanity.

to excite amusement in: The clown's antics really tickled the kids.

to get, move, etc., by or as by tickling: She tickled him into saying yes.

to stroke the underbelly of (a fish, especially a trout) until it goes into a trancelike state, making it possible to scoop it out of the water: the ability to tickle a fish, often contested as more mythical than actual, has been written of and embellished on since ancient times: He tickled that fish until it stopped moving, and the next thing I knew, we were having trout for dinner!

verb (used without object), tick·led, tick·ling.

to be affected with a tingling or itching sensation, as from light touches or strokes: I tickle all over.

to produce such a sensation.

noun

an act or instance of tickling.

a tickling sensation.

OTHER WORDS FOR tickle

4 amuse, please, delight, enchant.

See synonyms for tickle on Thesaurus.com

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Idioms about tickle

tickled pink, Informal. greatly pleased: She was tickled pink that he had remembered her birthday.

Origin of tickle

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English tikelen; further origin uncertain; perhaps frequentative of tiken “to touch lightly”; see origin at tick¹ (in obsolete sense “to touch lightly”)

OTHER WORDS FROM tickle

un·tick·led, adjective

Words nearby tickle

tickety-boo, tickey, tick fever, ticking, ticklace, tickle, tickled pink, tickle one's fancy, tickler, tickler coil, tickler file

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

MORE ABOUT TICKLE

What is a basic definition of tickle?

Tickle means to touch sensitive body parts in order to cause laughter, to stroke lightly to cause an itching sensation, or to excite. Tickle has several other senses as a verb and a noun.

You might tickle your baby brother as part of playing to get him to laugh. Tickling involves touching sensitive body parts, such as the stomach or armpits, to cause involuntary laughter. It is usually done with the fingers, fingernails, or a feather. If someone is especially easy to make laugh by tickling, they are said to be ticklish.

Real-life examples: Parents often tickle babies or their children to make them laugh or cheer them up. Kids might tickle each other while playing. A person should always have permission before they tickle you.
Used in a sentence: When my daughter is sad, I can usually cheer her up by tickling her.

Tickle can also mean to cause an itching or tingling sensation. It is also used to mean to experience an itching or tingling sensation.

Real-life examples: An uncomfortable sweater may tickle your neck. A pleasant smell can tickle your nose. A bug bite on your leg may cause your leg tickle.
Used in a sentence: The wind tickled the hairs on the back of my neck.

Tickle can also be used in this sense as a noun to mean an itching or tingling sensation.

Used in a sentence: I felt a slight tickle on my knee after going through the poison ivy bush.

Tickle can also mean to excite or to please.

Used in a sentence: The gorgeous dress tickled her sense of style.

Where does tickle come from?

The first records of tickle come from the early 1300s. It comes from the Middle English verb tikelen. Any earlier origin is uncertain.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to tickle?

tickler (noun)
untickled (adjective)
tickly (adjective)

What are some synonyms for tickle?

What are some words that share a root or word element with tickle?

What are some words that often get used in discussing tickle?

How is tickle used in real life?

Tickle most often means to make someone laugh by lighting touching sensitive body parts.

I went to go tickle my daughter while she was laying down and she kicked me in the face. How’s your day going?

— Dana Scanna (@KillerPiglet1) December 14, 2019

The one thing I hate about my dogs following me around the house 24/7 is that about 30 times a day their tails tickle my leg and I jump and smack my leg thinking it’s a spider.

— Alyssa Nicklas (@Lyss_Nicklas11) December 21, 2018

How many tickles does it take to make an octopus laugh?

Ten tickles.

— Sana (@s1nab) January 25, 2021

Try using tickle!

Which of the following words would most likely be used to describe someone who is being tickled?

A. pain
B. laughter
C. sadness
D. cold

How to use tickle in a sentence

The room-sized installation “Habeas Corpus” lures you through its door with the visual tickle of a disco ball.
Laurie Anderson is why we have multimedia art. Her story comes full circle at the Hirshhorn.|Michael Andor Brodeur|October 7, 2021|Washington Post
At home, buyers build their own tacos using the accompanying tender corn tortillas, Carolina rice, sparkling pico de gallo and a salsa verde that leaves a tickle of heat in your throat.
Like a good neighbor, Pennyroyal Station is there for you|Tom Sietsema|January 22, 2021|Washington Post
She can’t smell and feels anxiety at the pang of a headache or tickle of a cough, worried that somehow she has been stricken anew by a virus that has already taken so much from her.
‘I said goodbye to my sister through a computer screen’|Holly Bailey|January 2, 2021|Washington Post
So instead she self-monitors and loads up on vitamin C and zinc, hoping the tickle in her throat disappears.
As thousands of athletes get coronavirus tests, nurses wonder: What about us?|Kent Babb|December 3, 2020|Washington Post

It feels like a strong tickle in a space behind the eyes and is capable of inducing tears.
Hong Kong’s citywide COVID-19 testing has become a barometer of public trust|eamonbarrett|September 9, 2020|Fortune
He obliged and as we stood for the picture my CP caused me to involuntarily tickle him.
Gaza to Jersey: A Star is Born|Maysoon Zayid|November 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Best Moment: When Galifianakis attempts to make Cera tickle his thigh (with disappointing results).
Justin Bieber, Jon Hamm & the Best of 'Between Two Ferns' (VIDEO)|Anna Klassen|September 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Guys, it distinctly says “tickle me” Elmo, not “hand-to-hand combat over me” Elmo.
Eight Biggest Elmo Scandals: Kevin Clash, Katy Perry & More (VIDEO)|Kevin Fallon|November 14, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Nearly as outrageous was the $2,000 some early buyers were reselling their tickle-me toys for on secondhand markets.
Eight Biggest Elmo Scandals: Kevin Clash, Katy Perry & More (VIDEO)|Kevin Fallon|November 14, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The stretchy, leathery ring keeps you hard while the eyelashes tickle the vadge.
Eastbound & Down’s Kenny Powers Lists His Favorite Things|Kenny Powers|February 17, 2012|DAILY BEAST
"It might tickle him to go to the senate, particularly if he had a score to clean up in connection with it," remarked Ware.
A Hoosier Chronicle|Meredith Nicholson
Twas irresistible––to be accomplished with the fool of Twist Tickle and his clever punt.
The Cruise of the Shining Light|Norman Duncan
Thereafter––a hundred paces––I caught sight of the lights of the Twist Tickle meeting-house.
The Cruise of the Shining Light|Norman Duncan
Twas with this hungry curiosity that I demanded of the fool of Twist Tickle how he had managed so great a thing.
The Cruise of the Shining Light|Norman Duncan
I names she from a schooner that calls at Pinch-In Tickle every spring.
Left on the Labrador|Dillon Wallace

British Dictionary definitions for tickle

tickle

/ (ˈtɪkəl) /

verb

to touch, stroke, or poke (a person, part of the body, etc) so as to produce pleasure, laughter, or a twitching sensation

(tr) to excite pleasurably; gratify

(tr) to delight or entertain (often in the phrase tickle one's fancy)

(intr) to itch or tingle

(tr) to catch (a fish, esp a trout) by grasping it with the hands and gently moving the fingers into its gills

tickle pink or tickle to death informal to please greatlyhe was tickled pink to be elected president

noun

a sensation of light stroking or itching

the act of tickling

Canadian (in the Atlantic Provinces) a narrow strait

Derived forms of tickle

tickly, adjective

Word Origin for tickle

C14: related to Old English tinclian, Old High German kizziton, Old Norse kitla, Latin titillāre to titillate

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

tickle

OTHER WORDS FOR tickle

Idioms about tickle

Origin of tickle

OTHER WORDS FROM tickle

Words nearby tickle

MORE ABOUT TICKLE

What is a basic definition of tickle?

Where does tickle come from?

Did you know ... ?

How is tickle used in real life?

Try using tickle!

Words related to tickle

How to use tickle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tickle

Derived forms of tickle

Word Origin for tickle