Illustration of tick
- tick 1
1
a
: a light rhythmic audible tap or beat
also
: a series of such ticks
b
: the time taken by the tick of a clock : moment
2
: a small spot or mark
especially
: one used to direct attention to something, to check an item on a list, or to represent a point on a scale
3
a
finance
: the minimum amount by which the price of a security can move upward or downward
The minimum price fluctuation is called a "tick."—
Gerald Warfield
Gerald Warfield
also
: a stock market transaction at a price above or below the last previous transaction in the same security or the change in price that such a transaction represents
an upward/downward tick
The telegraph, and then the stock ticker, provided a number of advantages … . The ticker was named for its characteristic sound when printing; to this day, any movement of a stock's price is called a "tick." —Joe Janes
Joe Janes Note that I assume none of you plan to spend your golden years watching the market tick by tick and jumping in and out of stocks. —Barry Ritholtz
Barry Ritholtz
ticked; ticking; ticks
1
: to make the sound of a tick or a series of ticks
2
: to operate as a functioning mechanism : run
tried to understand what made him tick
the motor was ticking over quietly
1
: to mark with a written tick : check
—usually used with off
ticked off each item in the list
2
: to mark, count, or announce by or as if by ticking beats
a meter ticking off the cab fare
3
: to touch with a momentary glancing blow
ticked the ball
1
: any of a superfamily (Ixodoidea) of bloodsucking acarid arachnids that are larger than the related mites, attach themselves to warm-blooded vertebrates to feed, and include important vectors of infectious diseases
2
: any of various usually wingless parasitic dipteran flies compare sheep ked
1
: the fabric case of a mattress, pillow, or bolster
also
: a mattress consisting of a tick and its filling
2
Examples of tick in a Sentence
Verb
I could hear the clock tick.
His old heart is still ticking.
Tick the box next to your choice.
Recent Examples on the Web
Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 3 June 2025
The right-hander's cutter velocity dipped by two to three ticks prior to his untimely departure.
—Valentina Martinez, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 June 2025
Sean Neumann, People.com, 4 June 2025
Death sentences across the nation ticked upward in recent years after falling precipitously since their peak in the 1990s.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 4 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for tick
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Permethrin is an insecticide that kills or repels mosquitoes and ticks.
—Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 3 June 2025
The right-hander's cutter velocity dipped by two to three ticks prior to his untimely departure.
—Valentina Martinez, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 June 2025
Verb
After poetically collapsing to his knee at mid-ice with exhaustion as the final seconds ticked away in last year’s Game 7, McDavid and the Oilers appear to be in top shape heading into the Finals.
—Sean Neumann, People.com, 4 June 2025
Death sentences across the nation ticked upward in recent years after falling precipitously since their peak in the 1990s.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 4 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for tick
Cite this Entry
“Tick.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tick. Accessed 8 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tick
1 of 5 noun
: any of numerous bloodsucking invertebrates that are arachnids larger than the related mites, attach themselves to warm-blooded animals to feed, and include important carriers of infectious diseases
tick
2 of 5 noun1
: the fabric case of a mattress, pillow, or cushion
2
: ticking
tick
3 of 5 noun1
: a light rhythmic tap or beat
the tick of a clock
2
: a small mark used to direct attention to something or to check an item on a list
tick
5 of 5 noun
: credit entry 1 sense 3a, trust
bought on tick
Etymology
Noun
Middle English tyke, teke "tick"
Noun
Middle English tike "a fabric case for a mattress"; probably of Dutch origin
Noun
Middle English tek "a rhythmic tap or beat"
Noun
a shortened form of ticket "a slip recording a business deal"
Medical Definition
tick
noun1
: any of numerous bloodsucking arachnids that constitute the acarine superfamily Ixodoidea, are much larger than the closely related mites, attach themselves to warm-blooded vertebrates to feed, include important vectors of various infectious diseases of humans and lower animals, and although the immature larva has but six legs, may be readily distinguished from an insect by the complete lack of external segmentation
2
: any of various usually wingless parasitic dipteran flies (as the sheep ked)
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