flick
- 01 B1 Intermediate
v.to move something with a short, quick motion, often using your fingers or wrist.
v.to propel or move something with a sudden, light stroke or impulse, typically involving the fingers or a flexible object.
Simple“He had to flick the switch several times before the light finally came on.”
In context“She absentmindedly flicked a speck of dust off her sleeve while waiting for the interview to begin.”
UsageOften used with 'at' or 'off'.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to look through a book, magazine, or website very fast without reading everything.
v.to turn pages or navigate digital content rapidly and cursorily.
Simple“I like to flick through a magazine while I wait for my hair appointment.”
In context“He spent the afternoon flicking through old photo albums, searching for a specific picture of his grandfather.”
UsageUsually followed by the preposition 'through'.
- 03 B1 Intermediate
- 04 B1 Intermediate
n.an informal word for a movie or film.
n.a motion picture. Often used in the plural with 'the' to refer to the cinema as an institution or destination.
Simple“Do you want to go see a flick at the mall tonight?”
In context“The critics dismissed the blockbuster as a mindless action flick, despite its record-breaking performance at the box office.”
Teacher's tipWhile 'flick' is common in casual speech, 'movie' or 'film' is preferred in any professional or academic context.
From Middle English flykke (“light blow or stroke”). Later uses apparently interpreted as a back-formation from flicker. 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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.