/flɪk/
OriginFrom Middle English flykke (“light blow or stroke”). Later uses apparently interpreted as a back-formation from flicker.
The use of flick to mean a film or movie derives from the fact that early films had a low frame rate, thus causing the film to "flick" rapidly when projected onto a screen.
- A short, quick movement, especially a brush, sweep, or flip.
“He removed the speck of dust with a flick of his finger.”
“She gave a disdainful flick of her hair and marched out of the room.”
“On this occasion it was Nolan's deft flick that fooled West Ham's sleepy defenders Danny Gabbidon and Tomkins. The ball found its way to Best, who smashed in with confidence from the edge of the area.”
- informalA motion picture, movie, film; (in plural, usually preceded by "the") movie theater, cinema.
“My all-time favorite flick is "Gone with the Wind."”
“Want to go to the flicks tonight?”
- A cut that lands with the point, often involving a whip of the foible of the blade to strike at a concealed target.
- A powerful underarm volley shot.
“The fourth seed was dominating her 20-year-old opponent with a series of stinging groundstrokes and athletic drive-volleys, striking again in game five when Paszek flicked a forehand pick-up into the ”
- The act of pressing a place on a touch screen device.
- A flitch.
- A unit of time, equal to 1/705,600,000 of a second
- dated, slangA chap or fellow; sometimes as a friendly term of address.
“'All that I have, dear old flick, is yours for the asking. What can I do?'”
- datedA photo.
“I was taking some flicks of the [p]arade […] and [someone] asked […] if I would like to take a picture of him[.]”
- To move or hit (something) with a short, quick motion.
“flick one's hair”
“to flick the dirt from boots”
“Using her hands like windshield wipers, she tried to flick snow away from her mouth. When she clawed at her chest and neck, the crumbs maddeningly slid back onto her face. She grew claustrophobic.”
- To pass by rapidly, so as not to be perceived clearly.
“Near-synonym: flit”
“They were quiet for a time, watching the fields and lanes flick past.”
- A diminutive of the female given name Felicity.
- A diminutive of the female given name Felicia.
“Felicia Jane "Flick" Beatrix Drummond is a British Conservative Party politician.”
Formsflicks(plural) · flicks(present, singular, third-person) · flicking(participle, present) · flicked(participle, past) · flicked(past)