"lickety" means: At full speed, fast.. This is informal slang, common in casual speech, texting and social media, but not appropriate for school work, applications or professional settings. There is no real cause for concern in itself; it is everyday peer vocabulary. If your child uses it, a light comment about audience and register is usually enough — no need to escalate. Context, more than the word, tells you whether to follow up.
lickety
(US, informal, usually, _, compounded with a noun) At full speed, fast.
Definitions
#1·Apr 27, 2026
(US, informal, usually, _, compounded with a noun) At full speed, fast.
See it in action
“Mom's ruby lipstick: Come on, we're leaving! Lickety-split!! #dictionary #wordoftheday #lickety-split #havenspark #mom #red #lipstick”
Origin: Somewhat The Oxford English Dictionary suggests either the verb or noun lick “stroke with the tongue”, with -ety, a suffix used to extend monosyllabic words. Merriam-Webster supports OED, deriving lickety-split from the same senses of lick. Harper's Online Etymology Dictionary, in contrast, suggests it is a variant of the noun lick “sprint; rate of speed”. Some writers suggest that lickety-split may be – compare clickety, clicketty-clack – but they note this as personal opinion. The word is attested, with variable spelling, from the 19th century; see quotations below and at Citations:lickety. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
For parents
"lickety" means: At full speed, fast.. This is informal slang, common in casual speech, texting and social media, but not appropriate for school work, applications or professional settings. There is no real cause for concern in itself; it is everyday peer vocabulary. If your child uses it, a light comment about audience and register is usually enough — no need to escalate. Context, more than the word, tells you whether to follow up.
For ESL learners
"lickety" means: At full speed, fast.. Register: informal slang, fine in casual conversation, texting and social media but not in academic essays, business writing or formal speech. Note the regional or dialect label (US) — usage may sound odd outside that variety. 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.
Cluster: general
Heard in the wild
“Mom's ruby lipstick: Come on, we're leaving! Lickety-split!! #dictionary #wordoftheday #lickety-split #havenspark #mom #red #lipstick”
— 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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🗺️About Regional & Other slang
Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
See all Regional & Other slang on Slangora.
Tags
Other words near "lickety" (L)
licenseelichamlichtlylich-wakelichwaylickedlick joblicklelick outlicksomelick someone's ballslick the birse
Browse all slang words starting with L.