English noun: licking | |||
1. | licking (event) an unsuccessful ending to a struggle or contest | ||
Samples | It was a narrow defeat. The army's only defeat. They suffered a convincing licking. | ||
Synonyms | defeat | ||
Broader (hypernym) | conclusion, ending, failure, finish | ||
Narrower (hyponym) | debacle, drubbing, heartbreaker, lurch, rout, shutout, skunk, slaughter, thrashing, trouncing, walloping, waterloo, whipping, whitewash | ||
Antonyms | triumph, victory | ||
2. | licking (act) the act of inflicting corporal punishment with repeated blows | ||
Synonyms | beating, drubbing, lacing, thrashing, trouncing, whacking | ||
Broader (hypernym) | corporal punishment | ||
Narrower (hyponym) | flagellation, flagellation, flogging, lashing, tanning, whipping | ||