tickling

UK: /ˈtɪklɪŋ/

From the verb tickle: (⇒ conjugate)

tickling is: ⓘ

v pres p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

tick•le /ˈtɪkəl/   v., -led, -ling, n. 
v. 

1. to stroke lightly with the fingers, with a feather, etc., so as to cause a tingling or itching sensation in:
   [~ + object] To wake him up she would tickle his nose with a feather.
2. to have or be affected with such a sensation:
   [no object] The hairs on his face tickled.
3. to poke some sensitive part of the body so as to cause laughter:
   [~ + object] He'd tickle the kids right before bedtime and get them giggling and out of breath.
4. to cause an agreeable feeling of excitement in:
   [~ + object] to tickle someone's fancy.
5. to amuse or delight:
   [~ + object] The clown's antics tickled the kids.

n. [countable]

6. an act or instance of tickling.
7. a tickling sensation:
   a slight tickle in the throat.

Idioms

8. Idioms tickled pink or tickled to death, greatly pleased:
   We're tickled pink that you could attend.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

tick•le  (tik′əl), v., -led, -ling, n. 
v.t. 

1. to touch or stroke lightly with the fingers, a feather, etc., so as to excite a tingling or itching sensation in;
   titillate.
2. to poke some sensitive part of the body so as to excite spasmodic laughter.
3. to excite agreeably;
   gratify:
   to tickle someone's vanity.
4. to excite amusement in:
   The clown's antics really tickled the kids.
5. to get, move, etc., by or as by tickling:
   She tickled him into saying yes.

v.i. 

6. to be affected with a tingling or itching sensation, as from light touches or strokes:
   I tickle all over.
7. to produce such a sensation.
8. tickled pink, [Informal.] greatly pleased:
   She was tickled pink that someone had remembered her birthday.

n. 

9. an act or instance of tickling.
10. a tickling sensation.

• Middle English tikelen, frequentative of tick¹ (in obsolete sense) to touch lightly 1300–50

Synonyms

• 4. amuse, please, delight, enchant.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

tickle / ˈtɪk^əl/ verb

1. to touch, stroke, or poke (a person, part of the body, etc) so as to produce pleasure, laughter, or a twitching sensation
2. (transitive) to excite pleasurably; gratify
3. (transitive) to delight or entertain (often in the phrase tickle one's fancy)
4. (intransitive) to itch or tingle
5. (transitive) to catch (a fish, esp a trout) by grasping it with the hands and gently moving the fingers into its gills
6. tickle pink, tickle to death ⇒ to please greatly

noun

1. a sensation of light stroking or itching
2. the act of tickling
3. (in the Atlantic Provinces) a narrow strait

Etymology: 14th Century: related to Old English tinclian, Old High German kizziton, Old Norse kitla, Latin titillāre to titillate