1
as in blow
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument
gave the ball a solid lick with the bat
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in splash
a very small amount
the soup needs just a lick more of salt
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in damn
the smallest amount or part imaginable
you haven't done a lick of work all day
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in to hide
to strike repeatedly
your father will lick you good if he hears you using swear words
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to master
to achieve a victory over
he's determined to do everything he can to lick the cancer
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lick
Tom Roland, Billboard, 28 Aug. 2025
Hopefully that was worth it — because quarterback Tua Tagovailoa took his fair share of licks in the process.
—Miami Herald, 24 Aug. 2025
Don Yaeger, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Verdejo understands why some members of the party may be licking their wounds post-loss, but believes the complaining should wrap as the committee reaches a critical transition point.
—Brittany Shepherd, ABC News, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lick
Noun
By the time Rosen arrived, Copperman had put a beat behind the guitar lick, and the rest of the day’s writing crew – including artist-writer Ross Ellis – was already toying with it.
—Tom Roland, Billboard, 28 Aug. 2025
Hopefully that was worth it — because quarterback Tua Tagovailoa took his fair share of licks in the process.
—Miami Herald, 24 Aug. 2025
Verb
Today, Alabama is licking its wounds.
—Don Yaeger, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Verdejo understands why some members of the party may be licking their wounds post-loss, but believes the complaining should wrap as the committee reaches a critical transition point.
—Brittany Shepherd, ABC News, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lick
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lick
Noun
-
The 1987 stock market crash was a further blow to the small company and an additional strain on its finances.—
Cameron Kaiser,
ArsTechnica,
12 Sep. 2025
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And the latest in the long line of big-name boxers to come to blows will be Canelo Álvarez and Terence Crawford who fight against one another on Saturday.—
Ben Morse,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Right now, the studio seems focused on delivering quality, memorable, and creative games that people want to play not just because of the brand name splash screen that will appear before the main menu.—
David Jagneaux,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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And the American redstart — a jetblack little fellow with orange splashes — pretty much stopped breeding here in the early 2000s.—
Ari Daniel,
NPR,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Even for those in the North who didn’t care a damn for the four million held in brutal bondage, or those who wanted a soft, conciliatory approach, the war began to take on new and moral meaning.—
Jack Sheehan
September 4,
Literary Hub,
4 Sep. 2025
-
At the start, the project required building a damn to drain the water from the facade.—
Sofia Celeste,
Footwear News,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In corroborating much of the testimony Pentagon intelligence official David Grusch offered in July 2023, Elizondo also accused the Department of Defense of hiding its UFO programs from Congress while misappropriating funds to operate them.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
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Coel, the boundary-pushing revelation from I May Destroy You, is a perfect foil, hiding Lori’s feelings behind her deadpan delivery, unblinking sphinx-like stare and wary body language but poised to shoot barbs when the moment calls for them.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Operating at the Frontier If yesterday’s winners mastered the deal model, tomorrow’s winners will master integration, culture, and execution.—
Gustaf Lundberg Toresson,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Within the first two hours online, high-level fighting players had already seemingly mastered the game’s beginner-friendly systems and begun using the easily executable combos to dominate the scene, air juggling hapless newbies into oblivion.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Together, the group dives into everything from Travis Kelce's slap incident to bold predictions for Monday Night Football.—
Tyler Everett,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
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That’s a nice surprise for those of us who are tired of pretending that rocking chairs and flickering flashlights were ever scary — but a brutal slap in the face for anyone still taking these con-artist ghost busters seriously.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Destroyed in one second by my mother, its shreds tossed into the garbage can under the sink.—
Miriam Toews
September 3,
Literary Hub,
3 Sep. 2025
-
But shreds of the original were repurposed and reimagined into a new statement.—
Katya Soldak,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
After 40 minutes, his energy hasn’t flagged a whit.—
Jeff John Roberts,
Fortune,
2 July 2025
-
The most memorable offerings didn’t care a whit about product-testing strategies.—
Charles McNulty,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lick.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lick. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.
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