Adjacent Words

Tickle definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

TICK'LE, v.t. [L. titillo, corrupted.]
1. To touch lightly and cause a peculiar thrilling sensation, which cannot be described. A slight sensation of this kind may give pleasure, but when violent it is insufferable.
2. To please by slight gratification. A glass of wine may tickle the palate.
Such a nature
Tickled with good success.
TICK'LE, v.i. To feel titillation.
He with secret joy therefore
Did tickle inwardly in every vein.
TICK'LE, a. Tottering; wavering, or liable to waver and fall at the slightest touch; unstable; easily overthrown.
Thy head stands so tickle on thy shoulders, that a milkmaid, if in love, may sign it off.
The state of Normandy
Stands on a tickle point.
[This word is wholly obsolete, at least in N. England. Ticklish is the word used.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a cutaneous sensation often resulting from light stroking
2: the act of tickling [syn: tickle, tickling, titillation] v
1: touch (a body part) lightly so as to excite the surface nerves and cause uneasiness, laughter, or spasmodic movements [syn: tickle, titillate, vellicate]
2: feel sudden intense sensation or emotion; "he was thrilled by the speed and the roar of the engine" [syn: thrill, tickle, vibrate]
3: touch or stroke lightly; "The grass tickled her calves"

Merriam Webster's

I. verb (tickled; tickling) Etymology: Middle English tikelen; akin to Old English tinclian to tickle Date: 14th century transitive verb 1. a. to excite or stir up agreeably ; please <music…does more than tickle our sense of rhythm — Edward Sapir> b. to provoke to laughter or merriment ; amuse <were tickled by the clown's antics> 2. to touch (as a body part) lightly so as to excite the surface nerves and cause uneasiness, laughter, or spasmodic movements 3. to touch or stir gently <a pianist tickling the ivories> intransitive verb 1. to have a tingling or prickling sensation <my back tickles> 2. to excite the surface nerves to prickle II. noun Date: 1801 1. the act of tickling 2. a tickling sensation 3. something that tickles

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. & n. --v. 1 a tr. apply light touches or strokes to (a person or part of a person's body) so as to excite the nerves and usu. produce laughter and spasmodic movement. b intr. feel this sensation (my foot tickles). 2 tr. excite agreeably; amuse or divert (a person, a sense of humour, vanity, etc.) (was highly tickled at the idea; this will tickle your fancy). 3 tr. catch (a trout etc.) by rubbing it so that it moves backwards into the hand. --n. 1 an act of tickling. 2 a tickling sensation. Phrases and idioms: tickled pink (or to death) colloq. extremely amused or pleased. Derivatives: tickler n. tickly adj. Etymology: ME, prob. frequent. of TICK(1)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Tickle Tic"kle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Tickled; p. pr. & vb. n. Tickling.] [Perhaps freq. of tick to beat; pat; but cf. also AS. citelian to tickle, D. kittelen, G. kitzlen, OHG. chizzil[=o]n, chuzzil[=o]n, Icel. kitla. Cf. Kittle, v. t.] 1. To touch lightly, so as to produce a peculiar thrilling sensation, which commonly causes laughter, and a kind of spasm which become dengerous if too long protracted. If you tickle us, do we not laugh? --Shak. 2. To please; to gratify; to make joyous. Pleased with a rattle, tickled with a straw. --Pope. Such a nature Tickled with good success, disdains the shadow Which he treads on at noon. --Shak.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Tickle Tic"kle, v. i. 1. To feel titillation. He with secret joy therefore Did tickle inwardly in every vein. --Spenser. 2. To excite the sensation of titillation. --Shak.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Tickle Tic"kle, a. 1. Ticklish; easily tickled. [Obs.] 2. Liable to change; uncertain; inconstant. [Obs.] The world is now full tickle, sikerly. --Chaucer. So tickle is the state of earthy things. --Spenser. 3. Wavering, or liable to waver and fall at the slightest touch; unstable; easily overthrown. [Obs.] Thy head stands so tickle on thy shoulders, that a milkmaid, if she be in love, may sigh it off. --Shak.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(tickles, tickling, tickled) 1. When you tickle someone, you move your fingers lightly over a sensitive part of their body, often in order to make them laugh. I was tickling him, and he was laughing and giggling. VERB: V n 2. If something tickles you or tickles, it causes an irritating feeling by lightly touching a part of your body. ...a yellow hat with a great feather that tickled her ear... A beard doesn't scratch, it just tickles. VERB: V n, V 3. If a fact or a situation tickles you, it amuses you or gives you pleasure. It tickles me to see him riled... The story was really funny–it tickled me. VERB: it V n to-inf, V n • tickled They all sounded just as tickled. ADJ: usu v-link ADJ

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. 1. Titillate. 2. Please (by trifles), delight, gladden, rejoice, gratify, make glad, give joy to, take one's fancy, do one's heart good.

Moby Thesaurus

affect the interest, agitate, amuse, appeal, arouse, attract, be attractive, beak, becharm, beckon, beguile, bewitch, blow the coals, brush, bunt, captivate, carry away, charm, chuck, concern, convulse, dab, delectate, delight, divert, enchant, engage, enliven, enrapture, enravish, entertain, enthrall, entrance, excite, excite interest, exhilarate, fan, fan the flame, fascinate, feed the fire, ferment, fetch, fillip, fire, flick, flip, flirt, flush, foment, fracture one, freak out, give a thrill, gratify, graze, heat, heat up, imparadise, impassion, incense, incite, inflame, instigate, interest, intoxicate, invite, involve in, kill, knock dead, knock out, loosen up, nettle, pat, peck, pick, pique, pleasant stimulation, please, provoke, put up to, raise a laugh, raise a smile, rally, rap, ravish, recreate, refresh, regale, relax, send, set on, sic on, slay, snap, solace, stimulate, stir the embers, stir up, summon, tantalize, tap, tease, tempt, thrill, tickle pink, tickliness, tickling, ticklishness, tip, titillate, titillation, touch, transport, whet, whet the appetite, whip up, whisk, work up, wow