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tick1 definition

tick (tik)

noun

  1. a light touch; pat
  2. a light clicking or tapping sound, as that made by the escapement of a watch or clock
  3. a mark (✓, /, etc.) made to check off items; check mark

  4. Etymology: from the time needed for one tick of a clock

    Brit., Informal moment; instant

Etymology: ME tek, prob. < Gmc echoic base > Du tikk, MHG zicken, to tick

intransitive verb

  1. to make a tick or series of ticks, as a clock
  2. Informal to function characteristically or well; operate; work what makes him tick?

transitive verb

  1. to indicate, record, or count by a tick or ticks
  2. Chiefly Brit. to mark or check off (an item on a list, etc.) with a tick: usually with off
tick Idioms

tick off

  1. Brit., Informal to reprimand
  2. ☆ Slang to make angry or irritable
tick2 definition

tick (tik)

noun

  1. any of a superfamily (Ixodoidea, order Parasitiformes) of wingless, bloodsucking mites, including many species that transmit diseases and are usually parasitic on humans, cattle, sheep, etc.
  2. any of various degenerate, two-winged, parasitic insects

Etymology: ME teke < OE ticia (? for ticca), akin to MDu teke, Ger zecke < IE base *deiĝh-, to prickle, itch > Arm tiz, tick, MIr dega, stag beetle

tick3 definition

tick (tik)

noun

  1. a cloth case or covering that is filled with cotton, feathers, hair, etc. to form a mattress or pillow
  2. Informal ticking

Etymology: LME tykke, akin to MDu tyke, both prob. < early WGmc borrowing < L theca, a cover, sheath: see theca

tick4 definition

tick (tik)

noun

Chiefly Brit., Informal credit; trust to buy something on tick

Etymology: contr. < ticket

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

business tick definition - business

finance tick definition - finance

idioms tick idiom

medical tick definition - medical

tick Synonyms

tick

n.

  1. A light beat

    clock-tick, beat, tick-tock, click, tap, light rap, slight blow, metallic sound.

  2. An insect

    parasite, bloodsucker, arachnid, acarida, louse, mite; see also insect, pest 1.

    Ticks include: cattle, sheep, bird, wood, deer.

  3. A mattress

    feather tick, straw tick, cornhusk tick, pillow, cushion; see also bed 1, mattress.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

tick Usage Examples

Object

  • box: Please tick a box to indicate your payment method.

Converse of object

  • remove: Remove the tick from the Enabled box next to Email.

Adjective modifier

  • infected: This method however could yield false negatives if single infected ticks failed to cause clinical disease ( Norval et al. , 1990 ).

Modifies a noun

  • infestation: There are just no shortcuts to preventing flea and tick infestation.

Noun used with modifier

  • clock: What we are doing here is looking for a page unused since the last period ( clock tick?

Followed by a transitive particle

  • off: Choose to do one of our multi-day trips, or tick off a classic tour around various islands.

Preposition: in

  • box: Put a tick in the box at the top of the screen to include typographical variants in your search.

Followed by an intransitive particle

  • over: My job is just to keep the station ticking over happily.
tick usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

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"tick." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/tick>

APA Style

tick. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/tick

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