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PRICK
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
The act of puncturing with a small point
Example:
he gave the balloon a small prick
Synonyms:
prick; pricking
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("prick" is a kind of...):
puncture (the act of puncturing or perforating)
Derivation:
prick (make a small hole into, as with a needle or a thorn)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Obscene terms for penis
Synonyms:
cock; dick; pecker; prick; putz; shaft; tool
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("prick" is a kind of...):
member; penis; phallus (the male sex organ ('member' is a euphemism))
Domain usage:
dirty word; filth; obscenity; smut; vulgarism (an offensive or indecent word or phrase)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Insulting terms of address for people who are stupid or irritating or ridiculous
Synonyms:
asshole; bastard; cocksucker; dickhead; mother fucker; motherfucker; prick; shit; SOB; son of a bitch; whoreson
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("prick" is a kind of...):
disagreeable person; unpleasant person (a person who is not pleasant or agreeable)
Domain usage:
dirty word; filth; obscenity; smut; vulgarism (an offensive or indecent word or phrase)
Sense 4
Meaning:
A depression scratched or carved into a surface
Synonyms:
dent; incision; prick; scratch; slit
Classified under:
Nouns denoting two and three dimensional shapes
Hypernyms ("prick" is a kind of...):
depression; impression; imprint (a concavity in a surface produced by pressing)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "prick"):
score; scotch (a slight surface cut (especially a notch that is made to keep a tally))
Derivation:
prick (make a small hole into, as with a needle or a thorn)
II. (verb)
Verb forms
Present simple: I / you / we / they prick ... he / she / it pricks
Past simple: pricked
Past participle: pricked
-ing form: pricking
Sense 1
Meaning:
Stab or urge on as if with a pointed stick
Synonyms:
goad; prick
Classified under:
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging
Hypernyms (to "prick" is one way to...):
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Sense 2
Meaning:
Make a small hole into, as with a needle or a thorn
Example:
The nurse pricked my finger to get a small blood sample
Synonyms:
prick; prickle
Classified under:
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging
Hypernyms (to "prick" is one way to...):
pierce (make a hole into)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "prick"):
needle (prick with a needle)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Derivation:
prick (the act of puncturing with a small point)
prick (a depression scratched or carved into a surface)
pricker (an awl for making small holes for brads or small screws)
pricker (a small sharp-pointed tip resembling a spike on a stem or leaf)
pricking (the act of puncturing with a small point)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Deliver a sting to
Example:
A bee stung my arm yesterday
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging
Hypernyms (to "prick" is one way to...):
pierce (make a hole into)
Sentence frames:
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something
Sense 4
Meaning:
To cause a sharp emotional pain
Example:
The thought of her unhappiness pricked his conscience
Classified under:
Hypernyms (to "prick" is one way to...):
arouse; elicit; enkindle; evoke; fire; kindle; provoke; raise (call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses))
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something
Sense 5
Meaning:
Raise
Example:
The dog pricked up his ears
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming
Hypernyms (to "prick" is one way to...):
erect; rear (cause to rise up)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Sense 6
Meaning:
Cause a prickling sensation
Synonyms:
prick; prickle
Classified under:
Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling
Hypernyms (to "prick" is one way to...):
prick; sting; twinge (cause a stinging pain)
Sentence frames:
Something ----s
Somebody's (body part) ----s
Sense 7
Meaning:
Cause a stinging pain
Example:
The needle pricked his skin
Synonyms:
prick; sting; twinge
Classified under:
Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling
Hypernyms (to "prick" is one way to...):
ache; hurt; suffer (feel physical pain)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "prick"):
prick; prickle (cause a prickling sensation)
Sentence frames:
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something
Context examples:
The landlord pricked up his ears.
(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA) Somatic (sensory); tinnitus, blurring of vision, hot and cold flushes, feelings of weakness, pricking sensation.
(HAMA - Somatic (Sensory), NCI Thesaurus)
A procedure in which a finger is pricked with a lancet to obtain a small quantity of capillary blood for testing.
(Finger Stick, NCI Thesaurus)
The frame of the window was made of fine black ebony, and as she sat looking out upon the snow, she pricked her finger, and three drops of blood fell upon it.
(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)
Standard allergy tests — the skin-prick test and the allergen-specific antibody test — have been inconsistent in predicting an allergic reaction to sesame.
(17% of Food-Allergic Children Have Sesame Allergy, National Institutes of Health)
In a remote village, an aid worker pricks a sickly toddler's fingertip and, like most of the other village children's blood samples, this one turns a test strip yellow.
(Test for life-threatening nutrient deficit is made from bacteria entrails, National Science Foundation)
The Brazilian biosensor can identify an enzyme called glucose oxidase — widely used to detect free glucose in body fluids — in tears, eliminating the need for finger pricking.
(Brazilian researchers eye biosensors to monitor diabetes, SciDev.Net)
Some were lying down with heads raised and ears pricked forward; others stood on their feet, watching him; and still others were lapping water from the pool.
(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)
His braced fore paws dislodged a pebble, and with sharp-pricked ears and peering eyes he watched the fall of the pebble till it struck at their feet.
(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)
Allergic rhinitis with a positive skin prick test (SPT equal or greater than 3 mm) to any allergen.
(Atopic Rhinitis, NCI Thesaurus)
