licking

/ˈlɪkɪŋ/
noun
  1. An act of passing the tongue over a surface.
    • The cat's licking of its fur kept it clean.
    • A quick licking of the spoon told her the batter was sweet enough.
    • The dog gave my hand a friendly licking.
  2. A severe defeat or beating.
    • Our team took a real licking in the championship game.
    • The bully got a licking from the older kids.
    • The company suffered a licking in the stock market.
Antonyms
verb
  1. Present participle of lick; passing the tongue over something.
    • She is licking the envelope to seal it.
    • He stood there licking his ice cream cone.
    • The puppy was licking my face.
What does "licking" mean? | whatsthatwordmean | whatsthatwordmean