"flick" means: A short, quick movement, especially a brush, sweep, or flip.. This is a fairly neutral word with no inherent risk attached. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than something dangerous. If your child uses it, context will usually make the meaning clear. A brief, curious question about where they heard it is generally enough to know whether to follow up.
flick
A short, quick movement, especially a brush, sweep, or flip.
Seen in the wild
11 citations · last seen May 2026
Seen in the wild
BlueskyMay 2026
lmao there was a period of time where i'd flick through to the society photos to see how girls from my class at school were doing
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BlueskyMay 2026
Ultraviolence, exploitative nudity, swearing, drugs... @88_Films unsurprisingly 4K's the hell out of #JackieChan's most excessive flick, The Protector. www.avforums.com/reviews/jack... #4KUHD #4KUltraHD
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BlueskyMay 2026
As a pup I was sad there was no bug's life 2 because it was a huge special interest and I had a crush on Flick (and even attempted selfship art at like 5), but as an adult? I hope they never touch it again.
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BlueskyMay 2026
After listening to the great @hdtgm.bsky.social episode about this flick, it's time I watch it. #filmsky #filmcommunity 🎬🎥📽
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BlueskyMay 2026
Finished badge for Flick! Physical coming soon! [ #art #furryart ]
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Definitions
US
#1·Apr 27, 2026US
A short, quick movement, especially a brush, sweep, or flip.
He removed the speck of dust with a flick of his finger.
Origin: From . Later uses apparently interpreted as a . The use of flick to mean a film or movie derives from the fact that early films had a low frame rate, thus causing the film to "flick" rapidly when projected onto a screen. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
For parents
"flick" means: A short, quick movement, especially a brush, sweep, or flip.. This is a fairly neutral word with no inherent risk attached. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than something dangerous. If your child uses it, context will usually make the meaning clear. A brief, curious question about where they heard it is generally enough to know whether to follow up.
For ESL learners
"flick" means: A short, quick movement, especially a brush, sweep, or flip.. Register: neutral, standard English, usable in most everyday contexts. A common non-native mistake is to use the word in the wrong register, or to assume one fixed meaning when it is actually polysemous; always check the surrounding register and the audience before producing it yourself. In formal writing, prefer a neutral synonym or a short descriptive phrase, and use this word only when you have heard or read it being used naturally in a comparable context.
Heard in the wild
“lmao there was a period of time where i'd flick through to the society photos to see how girls from my class at school were doing”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Ultraviolence, exploitative nudity, swearing, drugs... @88_Films unsurprisingly 4K's the hell out of #JackieChan's most excessive flick, The Protector. www.avforums.com/reviews/jack... #4KUHD #4KUltraHD”
— Bluesky· May 2026“As a pup I was sad there was no bug's life 2 because it was a huge special interest and I had a crush on Flick (and even attempted selfship art at like 5), but as an adult? I hope they never touch it again.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“After listening to the great @hdtgm.bsky.social episode about this flick, it's time I watch it. #filmsky #filmcommunity 🎬🎥📽”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Finished badge for Flick! Physical coming soon! [ #art #furryart ]”
— Bluesky· May 2026
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US
#2·Apr 27, 2026US
(informal) A motion picture, movie, film; (in plural, usually preceded by "the") movie theater, cinema.
She gave a disdainful flick of her hair and marched out of the room.
Heard in the wild
“Big stick , flick it into trees / long grass 🤭”
— Bluesky· May 2026
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US
#3·Apr 27, 2026US
(fencing) A cut that lands with the point, often involving a whip of the foible of the blade to strike at a concealed target.
He removed the speck of dust with a flick of his finger.
Cluster: general
Heard in the wild
“Get Out is such an amazing piece of work because it functions as such a prime example of a horror flick but transcends genre. So rare, could watch it a million times. Probably have.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Great flick. Idk why it doesn't get as much props as The Outsiders. I mean, Mickey Rourke and Dennis Hopper in their prime, that alone sells it for me. (lived not far from where a lot of that occurred for a while. Terrible time for me)”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Much easier to make a low budget indie flick about a guy falling down a conspiracy rabbit hole and going insane. Than an actual a whole conspiracy.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“My video card is kind of antiquated, so this would probably be fine on most people's computers. And when I flick the lights off, it's a rock solid 60 FPS. Also looks okay still, so that's performance mode.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Nah, Herr Flick of the Gestapo would never go around with his tie at half mast like that.”
— Bluesky· May 2026
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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Other words near "flick" (F)
flex maxxingflex modeflex onflex sznflextingflex upflicker goonflicker showFlicketflick knifeflick offflick one's bean
Browse all slang words starting with F.