prick

1 of 2

noun

ˈprik 

1

: a mark or shallow hole made by a pointed instrument

2

a

: a pointed instrument or weapon

b

: a sharp projecting organ or part

3

: an instance of pricking or the sensation of being pricked: such as

a

: a nagging or sharp feeling of remorse, regret, or sorrow

b

: a slight sharply localized discomfort

the prick of a needle

4

vulgar : penis

5

slang, vulgar : a spiteful or contemptible man often having some authority

prick

2 of 2

verb

pricked; pricking; pricks

transitive verb

1

: to pierce slightly with a sharp point

2

: to affect with anguish, grief, or remorse

doubt began to prick him

—Philip Hale

3

: to ride, guide, or urge on with or as if with spurs : goad

4

: to mark, distinguish, or note by means of a small mark

5

: to trace or outline with punctures

6

: to remove (a young seedling) from the seedbed to another suitable for further growth

—usually used with out

7

: to cause to be or stand erect

a dog pricking its ears

intransitive verb

1

a

: to prick something or cause a pricking sensation

b

: to feel discomfort as if from being pricked

2

a

: to urge a horse with the spur

b

: to ride fast

3

: thrust

4

: to become directed upward : point

Phrases

prick up one's ears

: to listen intently

Synonyms

Noun

• perforation
• pinhole
• pinprick
• punch
• puncture
• stab

Examples of prick in a Sentence

Noun

She felt a prick as the thorn jabbed her foot.

He felt the prick of the needle.

She felt a prick of jealousy.

Verb

The nurse pricked my finger and squeezed out a drop of blood.

The sharp shells pricked the bottoms of our feet.

She was pricked by doubt.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The previous night, Audra McDonald hugged her during a scene and one of the many bobby pins in Woods’s wig pricked her head, making her bleed. —Dina Litovsky, Vulture, 13 Dec. 2024

The first lancet pricked my skin with alarming precision. —David Oliver, USA TODAY, 4 Dec. 2024

Another thorn pricked the relationship this year when Senator Bob Menendez, the New Jersey Democrat and powerful chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was convicted on charges of receiving bribes from businessmen working on behalf of Egypt and Qatar. —Michael Wahid Hanna, Foreign Affairs, 26 Nov. 2024

Orthodox and Conservative Jews require converts to immerse themselves in a mikvah, a ritual bath, and expect male converts to undergo circumcision or, if they are already circumcised, to be pricked to draw a ritual drop of blood. —Jeannie Suk Gersen, The New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English prikke, from Old English prica; akin to Middle Dutch pric prick

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

prick

1 of 2 noun

ˈprik 

1

: a mark or small wound made by a pointed instrument

2

: something sharp or pointed

3

: an instance of pricking

4

: the sensation of being pricked

prick

2 of 2 verb

1

: to pierce slightly with a sharp point

2

: to have or cause a feeling of or as if of being pricked

3

: to point forward or upward

the dog's ears pricked up at the sound