# tickle

/ˈtɪkəɫ/ (US) · /tˈɪkəl/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/tickle
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. to touch and cause laughter

verb · CEFR B1

to touch someone lightly on a sensitive part of their body to make them laugh or twitch.

For teachers: to touch a person or animal lightly in a sensitive area, typically inducing involuntary laughter or spasmodic movement.

- The children were laughing loudly because their father was tickling their feet.
- The toddler collapsed into fits of giggles as his mother began to tickle his ribs during their morning play session.

Usage: Usually transitive, requiring a direct object representing the person or body part.

### 2. to feel itchy

verb · CEFR B2

to have a light, tingling, or itchy feeling on your skin or in your throat.

For teachers: to experience a tingling or mildly irritating sensation on the skin or a mucous membrane.

- My throat started to tickle, and I knew I was about to cough.
- A stray blade of grass began to tickle his ankle, distracting him from the book he was trying to read.

Usage: Often used intransitively to describe a sensation.

### 3. to amuse or please

verb · CEFR B2 · Informal

to make someone feel amused or to interest them.

For teachers: to please, amuse, or gratify someone's curiosity or sense of humour.

- The idea of moving to a tropical island really tickled his fancy.
- The comedian's dry wit seemed to tickle the audience, though the critics remained largely unimpressed by the performance.

Teaching tip: Commonly found in the idiom 'tickle someone's fancy', meaning to appeal to someone's taste or imagination.

### 4. the act or sensation

noun · CEFR B1

the act of tickling someone, or the feeling you get when you are tickled.

For teachers: an instance of tickling or the resulting tingling sensation.

- She felt a slight tickle in her nose just before she sneezed.
- The persistent tickle at the back of his throat suggested that the dusty archives were affecting his allergies.

## Examples

- The feathers on the duster tickle my nose.
- She tried to tickle her little brother's feet to make him stop crying and start laughing.
- The tall grass began to tickle his ankles as he waded through the overgrown meadow in search of the lost trail.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.