tick
1a slight, sharp, recurring click, tap, or beat, as of a clock.
Chiefly British Informal. a moment or instant.
a small dot, mark, check, or electronic signal, as used to mark off an item on a list, serve as a reminder, or call attention to something.
Stock Exchange.
a movement in the price of a stock, bond, or option.
the smallest possible tick on a given exchange.
Manège. a jumping fault consisting of a light touch of a fence with one or more feet.
a small contrasting spot of color on the coat of a mammal or the feathers of a bird.
to emit or produce a tick, like that of a clock.
to pass as with ticks of a clock: The hours ticked by.
to sound or announce by a tick or ticks: The clock ticked the minutes.
to mark with a tick or ticks; check (usually followed by off); to tick off the items on the memo.
tick off, Slang.
to make angry: His mistreatment of the animals really ticked me off.
Chiefly British. to scold severely: The manager will tick you off if you make another mistake.
Idioms about tick
what makes one tick, the motive or explanation of one's behavior: The biographer failed to show what made Herbert Hoover tick.
Origin of tick
1Words that may be confused with tick
- tic, tick
Other definitions for tick (2 of 4)
Origin of tick
2Other definitions for tick (3 of 4)
the cloth case of a mattress, pillow, etc., containing hair, feathers, or the like.
Origin of tick
3- Also called bed·tick [bed-tik] /ˈbɛdˌtɪk/ .
Other definitions for tick (4 of 4)
a score or account.
Origin of tick
4Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for tick (1 of 4)
/ (tɪk) /
a recurrent metallic tapping or clicking sound, such as that made by a clock or watch
British informal a moment or instant
a mark (✓) or dash used to check off or indicate the correctness of something
commerce the smallest increment of a price fluctuation in a commodity exchange. Tick size is usually 0.01% of the nominal value of the trading unit
to produce a recurrent tapping sound or indicate by such a sound: the clock ticked the minutes away
(when tr, often foll by off) to mark or check (something, such as a list) with a tick
what makes someone tick informal the basic drive or motivation of a person
Origin of tick
1British Dictionary definitions for tick (2 of 4)
/ (tɪk) /
any of various small parasitic arachnids of the families Ixodidae (hard ticks) and Argasidae (soft ticks), typically living on the skin of warm-blooded animals and feeding on the blood and tissues of their hosts: order Acarina (mites and ticks): See also sheep tick (def. 1) Related adjective: acaroid
any of certain other arachnids of the order Acarina
any of certain insects of the dipterous family Hippoboscidae that are ectoparasitic on horses, cattle, sheep, etc, esp the sheep ked
Origin of tick
2British Dictionary definitions for tick (3 of 4)
/ (tɪk) /
British informal account or credit (esp in the phrase on tick)
Origin of tick
3British Dictionary definitions for tick (4 of 4)
/ (tɪk) /
the strong covering of a pillow, mattress, etc
informal short for ticking
Origin of tick
4Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for tick
[ tĭk ]
Any of numerous small, parasitic arachnids of the suborder Ixodida that feed on the blood of animals. Like their close relatives the mites and unlike spiders, ticks have no division between cephalothorax and abdomen. Ticks differ from mites by being generally larger and having a sensory pit at the end of their first pair of legs. Many ticks transmit febrile diseases, such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Lyme disease.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with tick
In addition to the idiom beginning with tick
- tickled pink
- tickle one's fancy
- tickle the ivories
- tick off
also see:
- clock is ticking
- tight as a tick
- what makes one tick
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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