1
as in puncture
a mark or small hole made by a pointed instrument
the immunization shot left a prick on my arm that turned into a bruise
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in tingle
a sharp unpleasant sensation usually felt in some specific part of the body
she felt a sharp prick when the nurse gave her the shot
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of prick
Liam Quinn, People.com, 23 June 2025
Twelve suspects were detained in France over the weekend after at least 145 people reported being pricked with syringes during a street music festival, the country’s interior ministry announced.
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 23 June 2025
In Paris, prosecutors said investigations were opened after three people, including a 15-year-old girl and an 18-year-old man, reported being pricked in separate incidents across the city.
—Lisa Klaassen, CNN Money, 23 June 2025
Twelve suspects have been arrested in France following 145 people across the country claiming they’d been pricked with syringes during a nationwide music festival over the weekend, according to several reports published Monday.
—Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for prick
Noun
The paper reported that the investigation began when three people in Paris reported feeling unwell and said they had been pricked by a syringe.
—Liam Quinn, People.com, 23 June 2025
Twelve suspects were detained in France over the weekend after at least 145 people reported being pricked with syringes during a street music festival, the country’s interior ministry announced.
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 23 June 2025
In Paris, prosecutors said investigations were opened after three people, including a 15-year-old girl and an 18-year-old man, reported being pricked in separate incidents across the city.
—Lisa Klaassen, CNN Money, 23 June 2025
Twelve suspects have been arrested in France following 145 people across the country claiming they’d been pricked with syringes during a nationwide music festival over the weekend, according to several reports published Monday.
—Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for prick
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prick
Noun
-
Battery systems based on it are also potentially safer (less prone to thermal runaway, may handle punctures better).—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Sep. 2025
-
In his career to date, the Danish-Norwegian director has often pivoted between realism and moments where irony and the surreal puncture the everyday.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
More viscous than your average face mist, the milky formula is laced with ceramides and lipids to relieve tight, thirsty skin and refresh dull, dry-looking makeup without so much as a flush or a tingle.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
-
The hint of acidity and tingle of mild green chiles is just what this dish needs to cut through the richness of the melty cheese.—
Jasmine Smith,
Southern Living,
26 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
One hole later, McIlroy birdied again, but Horschel responded with an eagle that included holing a putt from over 30 feet to win the title.—
Julio Cesar Valdera Morales,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Drill holes in the bottom of recycling containers that are left outdoors.—
John Tufts,
IndyStar,
29 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The acute phase may last weeks or months and often goes unnoticed, though some people develop fever, fatigue, body aches, rash or swelling around the bite site, the CDC says.—
Evan Moore,
Charlotte Observer,
17 Sep. 2025
-
However, her symptoms were brushed off as muscle aches.—
Vanessa Etienne,
PEOPLE,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The brand is classic but never boring.—
Libby Page,
Vogue,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Give me 'boring' any time over a clown Prince and his attention seeking first wife.—
Jack Royston,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
After all, who wants to feel the pangs of self-doubt, anxiety, or chronic stress?—
Maia Niguel Hoskin,
Forbes.com,
1 Sep. 2025
-
But honestly, for me at least, there were also pangs of a quite familiar feeling: mom guilt.—
Sona Charaipotra,
Parents,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Whitefish salad prickling with chile and festooned with great tufts of cilantro.—
Bon Appétit Staff & Contributors,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
20 Aug. 2025
-
Jakobus speaks in an Old World dialect, Pilsner, delivering brisk herbal aromas, hints of fresh levain bread and a prickling hop bitterness.—
Peter Rowe,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The result is a universal film about the cyclicality of trauma and healing, about how people who’ve experienced trauma often choose to help others rather than confront their own pain—and the toll that can take.—
Travis Bean,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
-
These recent cost-of-living gyrations, however, don’t mitigate the financial pain of the worst bout of inflation in four decades.—
Jonathan Lansner,
Oc Register,
13 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Prick.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prick. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share