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
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2
as in splash
a very small amount
the soup needs just a lick more of salt
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in damn
the smallest amount or part imaginable
you haven't done a lick of work all day
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1
as in to hide
to strike repeatedly
your father will lick you good if he hears you using swear words
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2
as in to master
to achieve a victory over
he's determined to do everything he can to lick the cancer
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of lick
David Faris, Newsweek, 27 Dec. 2024
Get in your last licks Once the bars close at 1 a.m., Provincetown quickly goes dark.
—Brett Sokol, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2024
Brandon Loomis, The Arizona Republic, 19 Dec. 2024
Fortunately, William obeys and ends up licking his wounds in the same whorehouse as before.
—Lincee Ray, EW.com, 14 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for lick 
Noun
Trust me on this one, from personal experience: Good luck getting an Uber driver who speaks a lick of English at Miami International Airport.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 27 Dec. 2024
Get in your last licks Once the bars close at 1 a.m., Provincetown quickly goes dark.
—Brett Sokol, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2024
Verb
Water collected in green pools that Leone said would sting if a dog stepped in or licked them.
—Brandon Loomis, The Arizona Republic, 19 Dec. 2024
Fortunately, William obeys and ends up licking his wounds in the same whorehouse as before.
—Lincee Ray, EW.com, 14 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for lick
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lick
Noun
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Initially, the potential loss of that would be a pretty big blow.Jason Parham, WIRED, 10 Jan. 2025
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As such, this will likely be a blow because the country accounted for 50% of global oil demand growth between 2000 and 2023, averaging an annual increase of 518,000 bpd, according to the Energy Institute's 2024 Statistical Review of World Energy.Gaurav Sharma, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The Padres had already been a team seen as having a shot at Sasaki’s services, and not just because of the team’s recent history of handing out major contracts and making big splashes.C. Trent Rosecrans, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025
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The New York Yankees made a huge splash in free agency by signing pitcher Max Fried to a $218 million contract in December.Newsweek, Newsweek, 7 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Shortly thereafter, Facebook changed its name to Meta and sank $45 billion into its vision of a digital universe that most people just don’t seem to give much of a damn about.Boone Ashworth, WIRED, 25 Sep. 2024
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But the rate at which people are ditching cable suggests that carriage fees won’t be worth a tinker’s damn by the time the looming batch of NBA deals expires.Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 5 July 2024
Verb
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At the time, wolves were still considered predatory varmints to be shot from airplanes, trapped and snared for $100 bounty and whatever hides would bring.Al Wolter, Outdoor Life, 10 Jan. 2025
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Walshe, 49, of Cohasset, is accused of murdering his wife Ana Walshe, dismembering her body on New Years 2023 and hiding it in dumpsters around Greater Boston.Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 9 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Transforming classic dishes into allergen-friendly versions is an art Chef Liz has mastered.Allison Palmer, Charlotte Observer, 8 Jan. 2025
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In contrast, quantum computers training on quantum data need exponentially fewer examples to master a task.Charina Chou, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The fist pumps and slaps of the left thigh between points have fresh vigour.Matthew Futterman, The Athletic, 15 Jan. 2025
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Understand where is fair game to hit, and where isn’t: Face slaps might look hot — and feel hot!Quispe López, Them, 14 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The case against him was built on eyewitness identification; not a shred of physical or forensic evidence linked him to the scene.Dan Slepian, NBC News, 30 Dec. 2024
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Witness, without a shred of judgment, your thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations.Ellen Choi, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2024
Noun
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The last-minute Annie Oakley act does not alter that one whit.The Editors, National Review, 30 Sep. 2024
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The same wellness warriors who fret about microplastics seem not to care one whit about the breakdown of medical aesthetics.Mattie Kahn, Vogue, 23 July 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Lick.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lick. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
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