Definition of FLICK

flick

Plural: flicks

Noun

  • a light sharp contact (usually with something flexible)
    • "he gave it a flick with his finger"
    • "he felt the flick of a whip"
  • a short stroke
  • a form of entertainment that enacts a story by sound and a sequence of images giving the illusion of continuous movement
  • A short, quick movement, especially a brush, sweep, or flip.
  • A motion picture, movie, film; (in plural, usually preceded by "the") movie theater, cinema.
  • A cut that lands with the point, often involving a whip of the foible of the blade to strike at a concealed target.
  • A powerful underarm volley shot.
  • The act of pressing a place on a touch screen device.
  • A flitch.
  • A unit of time, equal to 1/705,600,000 of a second
  • A chap or fellow; sometimes as a friendly term of address.
  • A photo.

Verb

Verb Forms: flicked, flicking, flicks

  • To strike with a quick, light blow or movement.
  • flash intermittently
    • "The lights flicked on and off"
  • look through a book or other written material
  • cause to move with a flick
    • "he flicked his Bic"
  • throw or toss with a quick motion
    • "flick a piece of paper across the table"
  • shine unsteadily
    • "The candle flickered"
  • twitch or flutter
    • "the paper flicked"
  • cause to make a snapping sound
  • touch or hit with a light, quick blow
    • "flicked him with his hand"
  • remove with a flick (of the hand)
  • To move or hit (something) with a short, quick motion.
  • To pass by rapidly, so as not to be perceived clearly.

Examples

  • a flick of bacon
  • flick one's hair
  • He removed the speck of dust with a flick of his finger.
  • He would flick away unwanted tiles, hoping for better ones from the bag.
  • My all-time favorite flick is "Gone with the Wind."
  • She gave a disdainful flick of her hair and marched out of the room.
  • to flick the dirt from boots
  • Want to go to the flicks tonight?

Origin / 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.

Synonyms

click, film, flicker, flip, jerk, leaf, motion picture, motion-picture show, movie, moving picture, moving-picture show, pic, picture, picture show, riff, riffle, ruffle, snap, thumb, fillip, the picture

Scrabble Score: 14

flick: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
flick: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
flick: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 16

flick: valid Words With Friends Word