name
Meaning 1
A diminutive of the female given name Felicity.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
flick
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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/flɪk/
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -ɪk
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homophone: flic
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CMU ARPABET: F L IH1 K Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
name
Meaning 2
A diminutive of the female given name Felicia.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- Felicia Jane "Flick" Beatrix Drummond is a British Conservative Party politician.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
A short, quick movement, especially a brush, sweep, or flip.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- He removed the speck of dust with a flick of his finger.
- She gave a disdainful flick of her hair and marched out of the room.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
A motion picture, movie, film; (in plural, usually preceded by "the") movie theater, cinema.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: informal
Examples
- My all-time favorite flick is "Gone with the Wind."
- Want to go to the flicks tonight?
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 5
A cut that lands with the point, often involving a whip of the foible of the blade to strike at a concealed target.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: fencing, government, hobbies, lifestyle, martial-arts, military, politics, sports, war
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 6
A powerful underarm volley shot.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: hobbies, lifestyle, sports, tennis
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 7
The act of pressing a place on a touch screen device.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 8
A flitch.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- a flick of bacon
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 9
A unit of time, equal to 1/705,600,000 of a second.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 10
A chap or fellow; sometimes as a friendly term of address.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: dated, slang
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 11
A photo.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: dated
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 12
To move or hit (something) with a short, quick motion.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- flick one's hair
- to flick the dirt from boots
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 13
To pass by rapidly, so as not to be perceived clearly.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- Near-synonym: flit
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: flit
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 14
a form of entertainment that enacts a story by sound and a sequence of images giving the illusion of continuous movement
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- they went to a movie every Saturday night
- the film was shot on location
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: movie, film, picture, moving picture, moving-picture show, motion picture, motion-picture show, picture show, pic
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: product, production, show
Narrower terms: telefilm, feature, feature film, final cut, home movie, collage film, coming attraction, shoot-'em-up, short subject, documentary, docudrama, documentary film, infotainment, cinema verite, film noir, skin flick, rough cut, silent movie, silent picture, silents, slow motion, talking picture, talkie, three-D, 3-D, 3D, musical, musical comedy, musical theater
noun
Meaning 15
a short stroke
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: stroke
noun
Meaning 16
a light sharp contact (usually with something flexible)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- he gave it a flick with his finger
- he felt the flick of a whip
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: contact, impinging, striking
verb
Meaning 17
remove with a flick (of the hand)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: remove, take, take away, withdraw
verb
Meaning 18
touch or hit with a light, quick blow
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- flicked him with his hand
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: brush
verb
Meaning 19
cause to make a snapping sound
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- snap your fingers
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: snap, click
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: move
verb
Meaning 20
throw or toss with a quick motion
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- flick a piece of paper across the table
- jerk his head
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: jerk
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: push, force
verb
Meaning 21
twitch or flutter
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- the paper flicked
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: ruffle, riffle
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: move, displace
verb
Meaning 22
cause to move with a flick
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- he flicked his Bic
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: flip
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: throw
verb
Meaning 23
look through a book or other written material
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- He thumbed through the report
- She leafed through the volume
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: flip, thumb, riffle, leaf, riff
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: peruse
verb
Meaning 24
flash intermittently
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- The lights flicked on and off
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: flicker
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: flash, blink, wink, twinkle, winkle
verb
Meaning 25
shine unsteadily
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- The candle flickered
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: flicker
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: shine, beam
History
Etymology
From Middle English flykke (“light blow or stroke”). Later uses apparently interpreted as a back-formation from flicker. The use of flick to mean a film or movie derives from the fact that early films had a low frame rate, thus causing the film to "flick" rapidly when projected onto a screen.
Across languages
Translations
61 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Bulgarian: перване (pervane) — a short, quick movement
- Bulgarian: лек удар (lek udar) — a short, quick movement
- Finnish: näpäys — a short, quick movement
- Finnish: pyyhkäisy — a short, quick movement
- Macedonian: за́мав (zámav) — a short, quick movement
- Macedonian: перну́вање (pernúvanje) — a short, quick movement
- Malay: lenting — a short, quick movement
- Māori: whiunga — a short, quick movement
- Persian: تلنگر (talangor) — a short, quick movement
- Portuguese: piparote — a short, quick movement
- Russian: рыво́к (ryvók) — a short, quick movement
- Russian: толчо́к (tolčók) — a short, quick movement
- Russian: движе́ние (dvižénije) — a short, quick movement
- Russian: лёгкий уда́р (ljóxkij udár) — a short, quick movement
- Swedish: svep — a short, quick movement
- Finnish: flikki — a cut that lands with the point (fencing)
- Finnish: pisto — a cut that lands with the point (fencing)
- Dutch: vingerknip — act of striking with a finger
- Finnish: näpäys — act of striking with a finger
- Finnish: pyyhkäisy — act of striking with a finger
- French: pichenette — act of striking with a finger
- French: chiquenaude — act of striking with a finger
- German: schnipsen — act of striking with a finger
- Ingrian: šolkka — act of striking with a finger
- Ingrian: šolkkuna — act of striking with a finger
- Italian: buffetto — act of striking with a finger
- Latin: talitrum — act of striking with a finger
- Malay: selak — act of striking with a finger
- Romanian: bobârnac — act of striking with a finger
- Romanian: bobârnace — act of striking with a finger
- Spanish: tincazo — act of striking with a finger
- Spanish: capirotazo — act of striking with a finger
- Spanish: papirotazo — act of striking with a finger
- Spanish: chiclazo — act of striking with a finger
- Bulgarian: первам (pervam) — to move (something) with a short, quick motion
- Finnish: näpäyttää — to move (something) with a short, quick motion
- Finnish: pyyhkäistä — to move (something) with a short, quick motion
- French: défiler — to move (something) with a short, quick motion
- Galician: sacudir — to move (something) with a short, quick motion
- Hungarian: pöcköl — to move (something) with a short, quick motion
- Hungarian: fricskáz — to move (something) with a short, quick motion
- Hungarian: pöccint — to move (something) with a short, quick motion
- Japanese: 弾く (hajiku) — to move (something) with a short, quick motion
- Macedonian: при́движи (prídviži) — to move (something) with a short, quick motion
- Macedonian: за́мавне (zámavne) — to move (something) with a short, quick motion
- Malay: selak — to move (something) with a short, quick motion
- Māori: whiu — to move (something) with a short, quick motion
- Māori: koropana — to move (something) with a short, quick motion
- Māori: toropana — to move (something) with a short, quick motion
- Māori: taiperepere — to move (something) with a short, quick motion
- Portuguese: sacudir — to move (something) with a short, quick motion
- Russian: тряхну́ть (trjaxnútʹ) — to move (something) with a short, quick motion
- Russian: стря́хивать (strjáxivatʹ) — to move (something) with a short, quick motion
- Russian: стряхну́ть (strjaxnútʹ) — to move (something) with a short, quick motion
- Russian: сма́хивать (smáxivatʹ) — to move (something) with a short, quick motion
- Russian: смахну́ть (smaxnútʹ) — to move (something) with a short, quick motion
- Spanish: tincar — to move (something) with a short, quick motion
- Spanish: tingar — to move (something) with a short, quick motion
- Spanish: papirotear — to move (something) with a short, quick motion
- Spanish: capirotear — to move (something) with a short, quick motion
- Swedish: snärta — to move (something) with a short, quick motion