Lick is a word with several meanings. It can referto point to or mean a particular thing to using the tongue, a quick tongue movement over something, a punch in boxing, a salt deposita layer or amount of material left in one place animals use, solving a problem, or beating someone soundlycompletely or by a large amount in a contest.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-12. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Pronunciation
AI-generated pronunciation audio (OpenAI).
Accent: General American English
IPA: /lɪk/
Easy pronunciation: LIK (approximate spelling).
Stress: One syllable, stressed on the only syllable.
Primary sense: verb meaning to pass the tongue over something.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-12. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Lick Meaning
to move your tongue across something
Part of speech: verb
Definition: pass the tongue over something
Example: The dog licked her hand.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- lap — A genuine synonym in some contexts, especially for animals taking in liquid or moving the tongue over something.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: uncertain — manual review needed. Checked: 2026-10-12. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Other Meanings of Lick
Meaning 2
to take in with the tongue
Part of speech: verb
Definition: take up with the tongue
Example: The cub licked the milk from its mother's breast.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- lap — Works well when the meaning is taking in liquid with the tongue.
- lap up — A good substitute in this specific feeding/drinking sense.
Meaning 3
an act of touching with the tongue
Part of speech: noun
Definition: touching with the tongue
Example: The kitten gave the bowl a quick lick.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- lap — Related and sometimes usable, though less direct as a noun substitute than the verb sense.
Meaning 4
a punch
Part of speech: noun
Definition: (boxing) a blow with the fist
Example: He took a hard lick to the jaw.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- biff — A close informal substitute.
- clout — Can mean a hard blow.
- punch — A direct and common substitute in this sense.
- slug — An informal word for a hard punch.
Meaning 5
to figure something out
Part of speech: verb
Definition: find the solution to (a problem or question) or understand the meaning of
Example: I finally licked the math problem.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- figure out — A natural everyday substitute.
- puzzle out — Works well when the solving process is careful or difficult.
- solve — A strong general substitute when the object is a problem or question.
- work out — Common and natural in this sense.
Meaning 6
a block or patch of salt animals lick
Part of speech: noun
Definition: a salt deposit that animals regularly lick
Example: Deer came to the salt lick near the trail.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- salt lick — The standard term for this meaning.
Meaning 7
to defeat completely
Part of speech: verb
Definition: beat thoroughly and conclusively in a competition or fight
Example: We licked the other team on Sunday!
Synonyms for this meaning:
- bat — A possible synonym, especially in British English and informal use.
- clobber — Strong informal substitute.
- cream — Informal but common in this sense.
- drub — Means defeat heavily.
- thrash — A very good synonym for beating badly.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: uncertain — manual review needed. Checked: 2026-10-12. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Lick Synonyms
Similar Meaning
- lap
- lap up
take up with the tongue
- lap
- lap up
touching with the tongue
- lap
(boxing) a blow with the fist
- biff
- clout
- punch
- slug
find the solution to a problem or understand it
- figure out
- puzzle out
- solve
- work out
a salt deposit that animals regularly lick
- salt lick
beat thoroughly in a competition or fight
- bat
- clobber
- cream
- drub
- thrash
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: uncertain — manual review needed. Checked: 2026-10-12. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Common Mistakes
- Do not confuse the verb lick meaning 'to move the tongue over' with the noun lick meaning 'a punch' or with the idiom meaning 'to defeat.'
- In problem-solving contexts, lick is informal and means 'figure out,' not 'lick' in the tongue sense.
- Salt lick is a fixed noun phrase; it does not mean a tongue action.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-12. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most common meaning of lick?
The most common everyday meaning is to move the tongue over something.
Can lick mean to solve something?
Yes. In informal English, it can mean to figure out or solve a problem.
Is lick used as a noun?
Yes. It can mean a tongue touch, a boxing blow, or a salt deposit animals lick.
What is a salt lick?
It is a place or block of salt that animals regularly lick for minerals.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-12. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.