flick
gb/flˈɪk/ us/flˈɪk/
B1
English
~ 1700
Senses
0 senses
Verb
B1
action
1
Make a quick small movement
To move something quickly and lightly with your finger or hand.
Usage pattern:
to flick [something] [direction/away]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'flick' with 'flip'. 'Flick' is usually smaller and faster, often using a finger; 'flip' can be larger and involves turning over.
Synonyms
snap (Usually refers to a sudden movement or sound, sometimes stronger than 'flick'.)
|
tap (Implies a light touch rather than a quick sweeping motion.)
Antonyms
press (Involves steady pressure rather than a quick motion.)
Collocations
flick a switch
|flick through pages
|flick away
|flick the ball
|flick her hair
Themes
daily life
|sports
|body movements
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She flicked the crumbs off the table.
- He flicked the ball into the goal with his foot.
- I flicked the light switch on.
- The cat flicked its tail impatiently.
Learner examples
- I flicked the pen across the desk.
- She flicked her hair back.
- He flicked the switch to turn on the light.
- The boy flicked the paper away.
Verb
B2
action
2
Look quickly at something
To look at something for a very short time.
Usage pattern:
to flick [your eyes/gaze] [toward/over] [something]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this with 'flip through', which is more about turning pages than looking quickly.
Synonyms
glance (A neutral term for a quick look; 'flick' emphasizes speed and smallness of movement.)
Antonyms
stare (Looking for a long time rather than briefly.)
Collocations
flick a glance
|flick your eyes
|flick through photos
Themes
daily life
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She flicked a glance at her watch.
- He flicked his eyes toward the door.
- I flicked over the newspaper headlines.
Learner examples
- He flicked his eyes to the clock.
- She flicked a look at me.
- I flicked over the pages quickly.
Verb
B1
action
3
Turn pages quickly without detail reading
To move through pages fast, not reading much.
Usage pattern:
to flick through [a book/magazine]
Common mistake:
Some learners use 'flip through' instead; both are correct but 'flip' is slightly more common in American English.
Synonyms
skim (Focuses more on reading quickly for main ideas; 'flick' emphasizes physical page-turning.)
Antonyms
study (Reading slowly and carefully instead of quickly turning pages.)
Collocations
flick through a magazine
|flick through channels
Themes
daily life
|reading
|education
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- I flicked through the magazine while waiting.
- She flicked through the channels until she found the news.
- He flicked through the report before the meeting.
Learner examples
- I flicked through the book quickly.
- She flicked through the TV channels.
- He flicked through the pictures.
Noun
informal
B1
event
4
A small quick movement
A small and fast movement, often made with your finger or hand.
Synonyms
snap (A quick motion, often with sound; 'flick' is lighter.)
Collocations
with a flick of his wrist
|a flick of her hair
Themes
daily life
|sports
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- With a flick of her wrist, she sent the ball flying.
- He gave the horse a gentle flick with the reins.
- The magician removed the card with a flick.
Learner examples
- He hit the ball with a flick.
- She moved her hair with a flick.
- The coin moved with a flick of my finger.
Noun
informal
B2
entity
5
Slang for movie or film
An informal word for a movie or film.
Synonyms
movie (Standard term; 'flick' is more casual and slangy.)
|
film ('Film' is slightly more formal than 'flick'.)
Collocations
chick flick
|horror flick
Themes
entertainment
|arts_entertainment
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- We saw an action flick last night.
- That new horror flick is really scary.
- She's in the mood for a romantic chick flick.
Learner examples
- We watched a funny flick.
- That flick was exciting.
- I like action flicks.
Grammar
Dictionary form
flick
IPA
GB/flˈɪk/
US/flˈɪk/
Syllables & stress
flick (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (flick)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: flick
- Plural: flicks
Verb
- Base: flick
- 3rd Person Singular: flicks
- Present Participle: flicking
- Past: flicked
Word family
Forms
flicks
noun
flicking
verb
flicked
verb
Related words
flicker
verb B1
Expressions
flick through
1/flˈɪk θɹˈu/
phrasal verb
Turn pages quickly without detail reading
To look quickly at pages in a book, magazine, etc., without reading much.
Examples
- She flicked through the magazine while waiting for her friend.
- I like to flick through cookbooks for inspiration.
chick flick
1/t͡ʃˈɪk flˈɪk/
fixed phrase
informal
romantic movie aimed at women
A movie, usually about love and feelings, that people think is mainly for women to watch.
Examples
- We stayed in and watched a chick flick last night.
- They stayed in on Friday night and watched a chick flick together on the couch.
- That chick flick made me cry.
- He pretends to hate chick flicks, but he actually cries at the sad parts.
- The film was marketed as a light summer chick flick for teenage girls.