prick

1. 1.

   make a small hole into, as with a needle or a thorn

   “The nurse pricked my finger to get a small blood sample”

   Synonymsprickle

   Broaderpierce

   Narrowerneedle
2. 2.

   cause a stinging pain

   “The needle pricked his skin”

   Synonymsstingtwinge

   Broaderhurt

   Narrowerprickle
3. 3.

   raise

   “The dog pricked up his ears”

   Synonymsprick upcock up

   Broaderrear
4. 4.

   stab or urge on as if with a pointed stick

   Synonymsgoad

   Broaderstab
5. 5.

   cause a prickling sensation

   Synonymsprickle
6. 6.

   to cause a sharp emotional pain

   “The thought of her unhappiness pricked his conscience”

   Broaderarouse
7. 7.

   deliver a sting to

   “A bee stung my arm yesterday”

   Synonymsstingbite

   Broaderpierce

1. 1.

   insulting terms of address for people who are stupid or irritating or ridiculous

   Synonymsassholebastardcocksuckerdickheadshitmother fuckermotherfuckerwhoresonson of a bitchSOB

   Broaderunpleasant person

   obscenity

2. 2.

   a depression scratched or carved into a surface

   Synonymsincisionscratchslitdent

   Broaderdepression

   Narrowerscore
3. 3.

   obscene terms for penis

   Synonymscockdickshaftpeckertoolputz

   Broaderpenis

   obscenity

4. 4.

   the act of puncturing with a small point

   “he gave the balloon a small prick”

   Synonymspricking

   Broaderpuncture

Other forms of prick

plural

pricks·

past tense

pricked·

present participle

pricking·

Forms marked · are formed by the regular rule rather than recorded in the source data. English keeps a few hundred irregulars and the rest follow the pattern, so the rule is right far more often than not — but it is a rule, and the mark says so.

Questions about prick

What does prick mean?

prick means "make a small hole into, as with a needle or a thorn". That is the primary sense; the word has 11 in total, listed in full on this page.

How many syllables are in prick?

prick has 1 syllable: prick. In IPA it is /ˈpɹɪk/.

What is another word for prick?

Close synonyms include prickle, sting, twinge, prick up, cock up. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.

Is prick a common word?

prick is banded "Common" — everyday vocabulary in speech and writing. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.