prick: Meaning and Definition of

prick

Pronunciation: (prik), [key]
— n.
  1. a puncture made by a needle, thorn, or the like.
  2. a sharp point; prickle.
  3. the act of pricking: the prick of a needle.
  4. the state or sensation of being pricked.
  5. a sharp pain caused by or as if by being pricked; twinge.
  6. the pointed end of a prickspur.
  7. .
    1. penis.
    2. an obnoxious or contemptible person.
  8. a goad for oxen.
  9. a small or minute mark, a dot, or a point.
  10. any pointed instrument or weapon.
  11. to resist incontestable facts or authority; protest uselessly: In appealing the case again, you will just be kicking against the pricks.
—v.t.
  1. to pierce with a sharp point; puncture.
  2. to affect with sharp pain, as from piercing.
  3. to cause sharp mental pain to; sting, as with remorse, anger, etc.: His conscience pricked him.
  4. to urge on with or as if with a goad or spur: My duty pricks me on.
  5. to mark (a surface) with pricks or dots in tracing something.
  6. to mark or trace (something) on a surface by pricks or dots.
  7. to cause to stand erect or point upward (usually fol. by up): The dog pricked his ears at the sound of the bell.
  8. to prick a horse's tail.
    1. to lame (a horse) by driving a nail improperly into its hoof.
    2. to nick:to prick a horse's tail.
  9. to measure (distance, the size of an area, etc.) on a chart with dividers (usually fol. by off).
  10. to transplant (a seedling) into a container that provides more room for growth (usually fol. by out or off).
—v.i.
  1. to perform the action of piercing or puncturing something.
  2. to have a sensation of being pricked.
  3. to spur or urge a horse on; ride rapidly.
  4. to rise erect or point upward, as the ears of an animal (usually fol. by up).
  5. to become very alert; listen attentively: The reporter pricked up his ears at the prospect of a scoop.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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