Meaning & use
licked
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“licked” is a form of “lick”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
Past tense and past participle of lick: passed the tongue over something to taste, clean or wet it.
Grammar: Usually takes an object: she licked the spoon.
Patterns
- lick something
- lick something off something
The dog licked the bowl until it was spotless.
She licked the envelope and pressed it shut.
The child licked the ice cream before it could melt.
verbtransitive or intransitiveliterary
Moved over something lightly, as flames or waves do.
Grammar: Often followed by 'at' or 'against': flames licked at the wall.
Patterns
- lick at something
- lick against something
Flames licked at the edges of the old curtains.
Waves licked against the stone pier.
The fire licked up the side of the barn.
verbtransitiveinformal
Defeated someone or something clearly, or overcame a problem.
Grammar: Takes an object: they licked the problem.
Patterns
- lick a problem
- lick someone
Our team licked the leaders by three goals.
He finally licked the bad habit after months of effort.
They licked the engine fault before the race.
adjectiveafter a verbinformalold-fashioned
Beaten or exhausted, with no strength left to carry on.
Grammar: Used after be or look: the team looked licked.
Patterns
- be licked
- look licked
By the last quarter, the visitors looked thoroughly licked.
After the third setback, they felt licked and went home.
He knew he was licked and offered his hand.
Word forms
| base form | lick |
|---|
Common combinations
- licked clean
- The plate was licked clean.
- licked his lips
- He licked his lips and reached for the pie.
- licked the stamp
- She licked the stamp and pressed it onto the card.
- licked at
- Flames licked at the wooden beams.
- felt licked
- After the defeat, we felt licked.
Synonyms and how they differ
- beat
- Beat is the plain word for defeating someone, while licked is more informal and playful.
- conquered
- Conquered sounds grander and more serious, while licked suits an everyday challenge or game.
- tasted
- Tasted means testing flavor, which may involve a tongue but does not require licking.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: licked or liked?
licked vs liked
Liked means found pleasant, whereas licked means passed the tongue over something.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'licked' to mean 'defeated'?
Choose one answer.
Licked means defeated only in the second sentence. In the others it is about tongues or flames.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “licked”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.