TICKLE

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does tickle mean? 

• TICKLE (noun)
  The noun TICKLE has 2 senses:

1. a cutaneous sensation often resulting from light stroking

2. the act of tickling

  Familiarity information: TICKLE used as a noun is rare.

• TICKLE (verb)
  The verb TICKLE has 3 senses:

1. touch (a body part) lightly so as to excite the surface nerves and cause uneasiness, laughter, or spasmodic movements

2. feel sudden intense sensation or emotion

3. touch or stroke lightly

  Familiarity information: TICKLE used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• TICKLE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A cutaneous sensation often resulting from light stroking

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("tickle" is a kind of...):

cutaneous sensation; haptic sensation; skin sensation (a sensation localized on the skin)

Derivation:

tickle (touch or stroke lightly)

tickle (touch (a body part) lightly so as to excite the surface nerves and cause uneasiness, laughter, or spasmodic movements)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The act of tickling

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

tickle; tickling; titillation

Hypernyms ("tickle" is a kind of...):

touch; touching (the act of putting two things together with no space between them)

Derivation:

tickle (touch or stroke lightly)

tickle (touch (a body part) lightly so as to excite the surface nerves and cause uneasiness, laughter, or spasmodic movements)

• TICKLE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they tickle    ... he / she / it tickles   
Past simple: tickled   
Past participle: tickled   
-ing form: tickling   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Touch (a body part) lightly so as to excite the surface nerves and cause uneasiness, laughter, or spasmodic movements

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Synonyms:

tickle; titillate; vellicate

Hypernyms (to "tickle" is one way to...):

itch (have or perceive an itch)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Sentence example:

Did he tickle his foot?

Derivation:

tickle (the act of tickling)

tickle (a cutaneous sensation often resulting from light stroking)

tickling (the act of tickling)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Feel sudden intense sensation or emotion

Classified under:

Verbs of feeling

Synonyms:

thrill; tickle; vibrate

Context example:

he was thrilled by the speed and the roar of the engine

Hypernyms (to "tickle" is one way to...):

excite; shake; shake up; stimulate; stir (stir the feelings, emotions, or peace of)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s somebody

Sense 3

Meaning:

Touch or stroke lightly

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Context example:

The grass tickled her calves

Hypernyms (to "tickle" is one way to...):

caress; fondle (touch or stroke lightly in a loving or endearing manner)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody

Derivation:

tickle (the act of tickling)

tickle (a cutaneous sensation often resulting from light stroking)

tickling (the act of tickling)

 Context examples 

Then the skin of my throat began to tingle as one's flesh does when the hand that is to tickle it approaches nearer—nearer.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

He's much more likely to do the tickling.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

This is why we can't tickle ourselves.

(Talking to Ourselves And Voices in Our Heads, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

It struggled and tickled his tongue.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

This idea tickled Jo's fancy and put her in good spirits, but Meg didn't brighten, for her burden, consisting of four spoiled children, seemed heavier than ever.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

Don't think I came here looking for you, Theresa. Your vanity shall not be tickled by any such misapprehension. Our meeting is wholly fortuitous.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

He was immensely tickled by his own adventures and laughed heartily as he recounted them.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

About four hours after we began our journey, I awaked by a very ridiculous accident; for the carriage being stopped a while, to adjust something that was out of order, two or three of the young natives had the curiosity to see how I looked when I was asleep; they climbed up into the engine, and advancing very softly to my face, one of them, an officer in the guards, put the sharp end of his half-pike a good way up into my left nostril, which tickled my nose like a straw, and made me sneeze violently; whereupon they stole off unperceived, and it was three weeks before I knew the cause of my waking so suddenly.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

I was obliged to get her to repeat it, for she spoke it the first time quite down my throat, in consequence of my having forgotten to take my mouth away from the keyhole and put my ear there; and though her words tickled me a good deal, I didn't hear them.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

I taught him his exercises, for he never loved the sight of a book, and he in turn made me box and wrestle, tickle trout on the Adur, and snare rabbits on Ditching Down, for his hands were as active as his brain was slow.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)