dick

noun

ˈdik 

1

usually vulgar

a

: penis

b

: a mean, stupid, or annoying man

I'll bet I wasn't the only person in the room who felt like a dick nodding over the gravity of this crime.

—P. J. O'Rourke

2

[by shortening & alteration] : detective entry 2

Sam Spade not only became the model for later dicks but also provided Hollywood with the classic private-eye film.

—Charles Nicol

3

chiefly British, informal : fellow, chap

He's an odd dick, for sure.

4

slang : the least amount : anything at all

Today, I was thinking, it would win all kinds of prizes at the Whitney Museum, but back in Newark in 1949 nobody knew dick about what real art was …

—Philip Roth

Synonyms

• detective
• gumshoe
• hawkshaw
• investigator
• operative
• private detective
• private eye
• private investigator
• shamus [slang]
• sherlock
• sleuth
• sleuthhound

Examples of dick in a Sentence

a novel about a hard-boiled dick and the softhearted madam who loves him

Word History

Etymology

Dick, nickname for Richard

First Known Use

1553, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Biographical Definition

Dick 1 of 2

biographical name (1)

ˈdik 

George Frederick 1881–1967 and Gladys Henry 1881–1963 American physicians

Dick

2 of 2

biographical name (2)

Philip K(indred) 1928–1982 American sci-fi writer