lick

I UK [lɪk] / US verb
Word forms "lick":
present tense I/you/we/they lick he/she/it licks present participle licking past tense licked past participle licked
*

1) [intransitive/transitive] to move your tongue across something, especially in order to eat it, clean it, or make it wet

The children sat licking ice creams.

Their dog was still licking itself.

The kids were licking honey off their fingers.

lick at:

The cat was licking at its injured paw.

lick something clean:

They would sneak into the kitchen and lick the bowls clean.

2) [intransitive/transitive] literary if something such as fire or water licks something, it touches it several times

3)

a) [transitive, always passive] informal to deal with a difficult problem or situation successfully

have someone/something licked:

We'll soon have this thing licked.

b) to defeat someone easily in a game or competition

They thought they had the opposition licked.

4) [transitive] informal to hit someone

•

- lick someone's boots

- lick your lips

- lick your wounds

II UK [lɪk] / US noun [countable]
Word forms "lick":
singular lick plural licks

1) [usually singular] the action of licking something

2) music informal a particular set of notes from a piece of popular music

3) informal a hard hit with something

•

- at a lick

- a lick and a promise

- a lick of something