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tickle
[tik-uhl]
verb (used with object)
to touch or stroke lightly with the fingers, a feather, etc., so as to excite a tingling or itching sensation in; titillate.
to poke some sensitive part of the body so as to excite spasmodic laughter.
to excite agreeably; gratify.
to tickle someone's vanity.
to excite amusement in.
The clown's antics really tickled the kids.
Synonyms: , , ,to get, move, etc., by or as by tickling.
She tickled him into saying yes.
to stroke the underbelly of (a fish, especially a trout) until it goes into a trancelike state, making it possible to scoop it out of the water: the ability to tickle a fish, often contested as more mythical than actual, has been written of and embellished on since ancient times.
He tickled that fish until it stopped moving, and the next thing I knew, we were having trout for dinner!
verb (used without object)
to be affected with a tingling or itching sensation, as from light touches or strokes.
I tickle all over.
to produce such a sensation.
noun
an act or instance of tickling.
a tickling sensation.
tickle
/ ˈɪə /
verb
to touch, stroke, or poke (a person, part of the body, etc) so as to produce pleasure, laughter, or a twitching sensation
(tr) to excite pleasurably; gratify
(tr) to delight or entertain (often in the phrase tickle one's fancy )
(intr) to itch or tingle
(tr) to catch (a fish, esp a trout) by grasping it with the hands and gently moving the fingers into its gills
informalto please greatly
he was tickled pink to be elected president
noun
a sensation of light stroking or itching
the act of tickling
(in the Atlantic Provinces) a narrow strait
Other Word Forms
- untickled adjective
- ˈپ adjective
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of tickle1
Idioms and Phrases
tickled pink, greatly pleased.
She was tickled pink that he had remembered her birthday.
Example Sentences
Australia are the favourites here, but this was a baring of teeth - the Proteas are not going to roll over and have their tummies tickled.
His nephew recalled a soft side, his uncle picking him up and giving him a good tickle.
"I have a lot of sensory issues and he'd tickled me, and I felt really, really weird about it."
Taiba said her niece uses them to "tickle us, and scratch her head and play guess who?"
"The actual environments are spot on, they've got fantastic Morris dancing stuff going on - it really tickled me when I saw that," she says.
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When To Use
Tickle means to touch sensitive body parts in order to cause laughter, to stroke lightly to cause an itching sensation, or to excite. Tickle has several other senses as a verb and a noun.You might tickle your baby brother as part of playing to get him to laugh. Tickling involves touching sensitive body parts, such as the stomach or armpits, to cause involuntary laughter. It is usually done with the fingers, fingernails, or a feather. If someone is especially easy to make laugh by tickling, they are said to be ticklish.
- Real-life examples: Parents often tickle babies or their children to make them laugh or cheer them up. Kids might tickle each other while playing. A person should always have permission before they tickle you.
- Used in a sentence: When my daughter is sad, I can usually cheer her up by tickling her.
- Real-life examples: An uncomfortable sweater may tickle your neck. A pleasant smell can tickle your nose. A bug bite on your leg may cause your leg tickle.
- Used in a sentence: The wind tickled the hairs on the back of my neck.
- Used in a sentence: I felt a slight tickle on my knee after going through the poison ivy bush.
- Used in a sentence: The gorgeous dress tickled her sense of style.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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