click

Meanings

Noun

• A brief, sharp, not particularly loud, relatively high-pitched sound produced by the impact of something small and hard against something hard, such as by the operation of a switch, a lock or a latch.
• The act of making a clicking sound by pressing a finger against the thumb and then releasing to strike the palm; a snap.
• An ingressive sound made by coarticulating a velar or uvular closure with another closure.
• Sound made by a dolphin.
• The act of operating a switch, etc., so that it clicks.
• The act of pressing a button on a computer mouse, both as a physical act and a reaction in the software.
• A pawl or similar catch.
• Alternate spelling of klick
• A detent, pawl, or ratchet, such as that which catches the cogs of a ratchet wheel to prevent backward motion.
• The latch of a door.
• Misspelling of clique

Verb

• To cause to make a click; to operate (a switch, etc) so that it makes a click.
• To emit a click.
• To snap the fingers.
• To press and release (a button on a computer mouse).
• To select a software item using, usually, but not always, the pressing of a mouse button.
• To visit (a web site).
• To navigate by clicking a mouse button.
• To make sense suddenly.
• To get on well.
• To tick.
• To take (a photograph) with a camera.
• To achieve success in one's career or a breakthrough, often the first time.
• Of a film, to be successful at the box office.
• To snatch.
• Misspelling of clique

Interjection

• The sound of a click.

Origin

• Imitative of the "click" sound; first recorded in the 1500s. Compare Saterland Frisian klikke ("to click"), Middle Dutch clicken (Modern Dutch: klikken), Old High German klecchen (Modern German: klecken, klicken), Danish klikke, Swedish klicka, Norwegian klikke, Norwegian klekke.
• From Middle English clike, from Old French clique.
• From Middle English cleken, a variant of clechen, perhaps from Old English *clēċan, *clǣċan, a byform of clyċċan. More at clutch.