tickle
noun · verb · adverb
Simple meaning
To touch repeatedly or stroke delicately in a way which usually causes laughter, pleasure and twitching.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
tikuhlSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈtɪkəl
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
An itchy feeling resembling the result of tickling.
The act of tickling
verb
Touch or stroke lightly
transitive
To touch repeatedly or stroke delicately in a manner which typically causes laughter, pleasure and twitching.
intransitiveof a body part
To feel as if the body part in question is being tickled.
transitive
To cause delight or amusement in.
Feel sudden intense sensation or emotion
intransitive
To feel titillation.
adverb
Insecurely, precariously, unstably.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced (estimated)
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To touch repeatedly or stroke delicately in a manner which typically causes laughter, pleasure and twitching.
Used this way, tickle is a reasonably familiar word with a mildly favourable edge. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Slightly positive
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Positive and appreciative
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
The act of tickling.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Fill with sublime emotion.
A small coil in series with the anode of a vacuum tube and coupled to the grid to provide feedback.
A file of memoranda or notices that remind of things to be done.
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What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.