What does licker mean?
A licker is literally someone or something that licks. The word can describe an animal with a conspicuous habit of licking people or objects, and in such contexts it may be affectionate, humorous, or mildly contemptuous. Its more familiar figurative sense is a person who habitually flatters or deferentially pleases someone with power, influence, or wealth. This use carries a strongly negative connotation: a licker is not merely someone who gives a compliment but someone prepared to ingratiate themselves, agree with a superior, or offer excessive praise for personal advantage. The word is less common than terms such as flatterer or sycophant and often has a blunt, dismissive quality. Its history comes from the ordinary verb lick, which descends from Old English lician. Knowing both the literal and figurative senses helps explain why calling a person a licker is usually an insult rather than a neutral description.
nounA person or animal that licks. Figuratively, a licker is someone who flatteringly accommodates a person in authority.
- One who or that which licks, especially a person or animal.
- A person who excessively flatters or deferentially pleases someone in authority.
"The dog was an enthusiastic licker, greeting every visitor by licking their outstretched hand."
"The dog was an enthusiastic licker, greeting every visitor by licking their outstretched hand."
"His sycophantic colleague was regarded as a licker who would agree with the director over anything."
The ordinary plural takes -s; “lickers” may refer to multiple people who flatter someone in authority.
"The office was rife with lickers who competed to agree with the chief executive."
The word reaches back to Old English lician, but centuries later a licker came to mean someone who “licks” the powerful.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does licker come from?
The word is formed from lick with the agentive suffix -er, meaning a person or thing that performs the action. The verb lick descends from Old English lician and has close cognates in other Germanic languages, including Dutch likken and German lecken. The figurative sense developed by extending the physical image of licking to the flatterer's eager efforts to gain favor.
Related word forms
How licker is actually used
The literal sense is relatively uncommon and can be affectionate when referring to an animal. The figurative sense is strongly derogatory and usually implies opportunistic or excessive deference rather than sincere friendliness.