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

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of dick was in 1553

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dick.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dick. Accessed 30 Mar. 2025.

Biographical Definition

Dick 1 of 2

biographical name (1)

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
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