prick

1 of 2

noun

1
: a mark or shallow hole made by a pointed instrument
2
a
: a pointed instrument or weapon
b
: a sharp projecting organ or part
3
: an instance of pricking or the sensation of being pricked: such as
a
: a nagging or sharp feeling of remorse, regret, or sorrow
b
: a slight sharply localized discomfort
the prick of a needle
4
vulgar : penis
5
slang, vulgar : a spiteful or contemptible man often having some authority

prick

2 of 2

verb

pricked; pricking; pricks

transitive verb

1
: to pierce slightly with a sharp point
2
: to affect with anguish, grief, or remorse
doubt began to prick himPhilip Hale
3
: to ride, guide, or urge on with or as if with spurs : goad
4
: to mark, distinguish, or note by means of a small mark
5
: to trace or outline with punctures
6
: to remove (a young seedling) from the seedbed to another suitable for further growth
usually used with out
7
: to cause to be or stand erect
a dog pricking its ears

intransitive verb

1
a
: to prick something or cause a pricking sensation
b
: to feel discomfort as if from being pricked
2
a
: to urge a horse with the spur
b
: to ride fast
3
: thrust
4
: to become directed upward : point
Phrases
prick up one's ears
: to listen intently

Examples of prick in a Sentence

Noun She felt a prick as the thorn jabbed her foot. He felt the prick of the needle. She felt a prick of jealousy. Verb The nurse pricked my finger and squeezed out a drop of blood. The sharp shells pricked the bottoms of our feet. She was pricked by doubt.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
The lodge was on Harding Lake, pricked with islands dressed in showy hats of spruce, birch, and poplar, their leaves wrapped in folds of icy lace. Sophy Roberts, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Feb. 2024 Twins have been worshipped, killed at birth, paraded as curiosities, pricked and probed and experimented on. Parul Sehgal, The New Yorker, 22 Jan. 2024 Open the lancet and press it into the tip of your finger along the side (pricking the pad can hurt more). Gary Gilles, Verywell Health, 18 Dec. 2023 Those tiny steam vents created by the fork pricks help the steam move through the potato evenly. Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 24 Nov. 2023 In a cool pine forest, our horses pricked their ears and flicked their tails, filtered light strobing the path before us. Catherine Buni, Travel + Leisure, 3 Dec. 2023 There is plenty of piercing and pecking and pricking in the witchcraft testimony, as there were plenty of knees soldered together and chests thrust skyward. Stacy Schiff, The New York Review of Books, 22 Dec. 2022 Advertisement On the other side of the Atlantic, near Gambia, a worker from Senegal on a Chinese trawler called the Victory 205 said he had been pricked by a catfish barb while wearing flip-flops. Los Angeles Times, 7 Nov. 2023 The current gold standard test—only conducted in specialized allergy clinics—involves pricking the skin and injecting a small amount of penicillin. Andrew Chapman, Scientific American, 5 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'prick.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English prikke, from Old English prica; akin to Middle Dutch pric prick

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of prick was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near prick

Cite this Entry

“Prick.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prick. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

prick

1 of 2 noun
1
: a mark or small wound made by a pointed instrument
2
: something sharp or pointed
3
: an instance of pricking
4
: the sensation of being pricked

prick

2 of 2 verb
1
: to pierce slightly with a sharp point
2
: to have or cause a feeling of or as if of being pricked
3
: to point forward or upward
the dog's ears pricked up at the sound
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