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Defeat vs Lick - What's the difference?

defeat | lick |

As verbs the difference between defeat and lick

is that defeat is to overcome in battle or contest while lick is to stroke with the tongue.

As nouns the difference between defeat and lick

is that defeat is the act of defeating or being defeated while lick is the act of licking; a stroke of the tongue.

defeat

English

Verb

(en verb)
  • To overcome in battle or contest.
    • Wellington defeated Napoleon at Waterloo.
  • To reduce, to nothing, the strength of.
  • * Tillotson
    • He finds himself naturally to dread a superior Being that can defeat all his designs, and disappoint all his hopes.
  • * A. W. Ward
    • In one instance he defeated his own purpose.
  • To nullify
  • * Hallam
    • The escheators defeated the right heir of his succession.

    Synonyms

    (To overcome in contest) * beat * conquer * overthrow * rout * vanquish

    Related terms

    * defeasance * defeasible * defeater * defeatism * defeatist * defeature

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • The act of defeating or being defeated.
  • * {{quote-news
    • , year=2012 , date=May 13 , author=Alistair Magowan , title=Sunderland 0-1 Man Utd , work=BBC Sport citation , page= , passage=Two defeats in five games coming into this contest, and a draw with Everton, ultimately cost Sir Alex Ferguson's side in what became the most extraordinary finale to the league championship since Arsenal beat Liverpool at Anfield in 1989.}}

    lick

    English

    (licking)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • The act of licking; a stroke of the tongue.
    • The cat gave its fur a lick .
  • The amount of some substance obtainable with a single lick.
    • Give me a lick of ice cream.
  • A quick and careless application of anything, as if by a stroke of the tongue, or of something which acts like a tongue.
    • a lick''' of paint; to put on colours with a '''lick of the brush
  • * Gray
    • a lick of court white wash
  • A place where animals lick minerals from the ground.
    • The birds gathered at the clay lick .
  • A small watercourse or ephemeral stream. It ranks between a rill and a stream.
    • We used to play in the lick .
  • (colloquial) A stroke or blow.
    • Hit that wedge a good lick with the sledgehammer.
  • (colloquial) A bit.
    • You don't have a lick of sense.
    I didn't do a lick of work today.
  • (music) A short motif.
    • There are some really good blues licks in this solo.
  • speed. In this sense it is always qualified by good', or ' fair or a similar adjective.
    • The bus was travelling at a good lick when it swerved and left the road.

    Synonyms

    * (bit) see also .

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To stroke with the tongue.
    • The cat licked its fur.
  • (colloquial) To defeat decisively, particularly in a fight.
    • My dad can lick your dad.
  • (colloquial) To overcome.
    • I think I can lick this.
  • (vulgar, slang) To perform cunnilingus.
  • (colloquial) To do anything partially.
  • To lap
  • * 1895 , H. G. Wells, The Time Machine Chapter XI
    • Now, in this decadent age the art of fire-making had been altogether forgotten on the earth. The red tongues that went licking up my heap of wood were an altogether new and strange thing to Weena.
  • To lap; to take in with the tongue.
    • A cat licks milk.
    (Shakespeare)

    Derived terms

    * ass-licker * cow lick * good lick * lick one's chops * lick one's wounds * lick out * lickspittle * lick up * licked * lickety split * outlick