lick

S2 W2

BrE /lɪk/ AmE /lɪk/

verb en → es

past licked pp licked ing licking

1 TONGUE ACTION [transitive] A2

to touch or move your tongue over something, especially to taste it

lamer

  • lick sth

Collocations lick an ice cream · lick a spoon

  • The dog licked the bowl clean.

    El perro lamía el tazón hasta dejarlo limpio.

2 TASTE [transitive] B1

to taste something by touching it with your tongue

probar con la lengua

  • lick sth

Collocations lick a piece of fruit · lick the sauce

  • She licked the spoon to taste the cake mixture.

    Ella lamió la cuchara para probar la mezcla del pastel.

3 HEAL [transitive] B2

to try to heal a wound by touching it with your tongue

lamer (una herida)

  • lick sth

Collocations lick a cut · lick the wound

  • The cat licked its paw to heal it.

    El gato lamía su pata para curarla.

4 CLEAN [transitive] B1

to clean something by touching it with your tongue

limpiar con la lengua

  • lick sth

Collocations lick the plate · lick a toy

  • The child licked his fingers after eating.

    El niño lamía sus dedos después de comer.

5 FLATTER [transitive] B2

to say very nice things about someone to get their approval or support

halagar, lisonjear

  • lick sb

Collocations lick the boss · lick someone to their face

  • He was always licking up to his manager.

    Siempre estaba halagando a su jefe.

Idioms

lick your wounds B2

curar tus heridas, recuperarte de una derrota

  • After the loss, they went back to lick their wounds.

    Después de la derrota, regresaron para curar sus heridas.

lick into shape C1

poner en orden, mejorar gradualmente

  • The new coach will lick the team into shape.

    El nuevo entrenador pondrá al equipo en forma.

lick someone's boots B2

halagar a alguien, estar de acuerdo con todo lo que dice

  • He was always licking his boss’s boots.

    Siempre estaba halagando a su jefe.