lick

verb

/lɪk/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they lick	/lɪk/ /lɪk/
he / she / it licks	/lɪks/ /lɪks/
past simple licked	/lɪkt/ /lɪkt/
past participle licked	/lɪkt/ /lɪkt/
-ing form licking	/ˈlɪkɪŋ/ /ˈlɪkɪŋ/

Idioms

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[transitive] to move your tongue over the surface of something in order to eat it, make it wet or clean it
- lick something He licked his fingers.
- I'm tired of licking envelopes.
- The cat sat licking its paws.
- lick something + adj. She licked the spoon clean.
[transitive] lick something + adv./prep. to eat or drink something by licking it
- The cat licked up the milk.
- She licked the honey off the spoon.
[transitive, intransitive] (of flames) to touch something lightly
- lick something Flames were soon licking the curtains.
- lick at something The flames were now licking at their feet.
[transitive] lick somebody/something (informal) to easily defeat somebody or deal with something
- We thought we had them licked.
- It was a tricky problem but I think we've licked it.

Word OriginOld English liccian, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch likken and German lecken, from an Indo-European root shared by Greek leikhein and Latin lingere.

Idioms

get/knock/lick somebody into shape

to train somebody so that they do a particular job, task, etc. well
- It took him just two weeks to knock the new recruits into shape.
- Leave the boy with me—I'll soon knock him into shape!

lick somebody’s boots

(British English, taboo, slang lick somebody’s arse)

(disapproving) to show too much respect for somebody in authority because you want to please them synonym crawl

lick/get/knock somebody into shape

to train somebody so that they do a particular job, task, etc. well
- Leave the boy with me—I'll soon lick him into shape!

lick/smack your lips

to move your tongue over your lips, especially before eating something good
(informal) to show that you are excited about something and want it to happen soon
- They were licking their lips at the thought of clinching the deal.

lick your wounds

to spend time trying to get your strength or confidence back after a defeat or a disappointing experience
- Leeds are still licking their wounds after their humiliating defeat by Grimsby.

lick

noun

/lɪk/

Idioms

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[countable] an act of licking something with the tongue
- Can I have a lick of your ice cream?
[singular] a lick of paint (informal) a small amount of paint, used to make a place look better
- What this room needs is a lick of paint.
[countable] (informal) a short piece of music played on a guitar in jazz or pop music
- a guitar/blues lick

Word OriginOld English liccian, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch likken and German lecken, from an Indo-European root shared by Greek leikhein and Latin lingere.

Idioms

at a (fair) lick

(informal) fast; at a high speed

a lick and a promise

(informal) the act of performing a task quickly and carelessly, especially of washing or cleaning something quickly