Link Centre Dictionary

tick

UK/tək/ US/tɪk/ fairly common informal uk
noun (4) verb (4)

noun

1.

a metallic tapping sound

  • “he counted the ticks of the clock”
Synonyms
2.

any of two families of small parasitic arachnids with barbed proboscis; feed on blood of warm-blooded animals

3.

a mark indicating that something has been noted or completed etc.

  • “as he called the role he put a check mark by each student”
Synonyms
4.

verb

1.

make a clicking or ticking sound

  • “The clock ticked away”
Synonyms
2.

make a sound like a clock or a timer

  • “the clocks were ticking”
  • “the grandfather clock beat midnight”
Synonyms
3.

sew

  • “tick a mattress”
Synonyms
4.

put a check mark on or next to

  • “Please check each name on the list”
  • “tick off the items”
Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English tik-, tic-, tike-, tiken- (in compounds), an unassibilated form of Middle English tiche, tichen (“young goat”), from Old English tiċċen (“young goat; kid”), from Proto-West Germanic *tikkīn (“goatling”), diminutive of Proto-West Germanic *tigā (“goat”). Cognate with regional German Zicke (“nanny goat”), from Ziege (“goat; nanny goat”).

Phrases

  • armchair tick Terms derived from tick (noun)
  • birdcatcher tick Terms derived from tick (noun)
  • blue tick Terms derived from tick (noun)
  • clock is ticking
  • foul tick Terms derived from tick (noun)
  • make tick
  • take a licking and keep on ticking
  • tick a lock
  • tick a lot of boxes
  • tick all the boxes
  • tick and flick
  • tick and tie

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

Parts

Related verbs

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.