Word.ws English Dictionary

licks into shape

licks into shape is the third-person singular simple present indicative of lick into shape.

Meaning of lick into shape

Verb

lick into shape (third-person singular simple present licks into shape, present participle licking into shape, simple past and past participle licked into shape)

  1. (idiomatic, transitive) To exert considerable effort to change (someone or something) into a desired state.
    • […] Men did not knovv hovv to mould and frame it [the doctrine of transubstantiation]; but at laſt it vvas licked into ſhape; the vvhole Philoſophy being caſt into ſuch a Mould as agreed vvith it.1699, Gilbert, Bishop of Sarum [i.e., Gilbert Burnet], “Article XXVIII. Of the Lord’s Supper.”, in An Exposition of the Thirty-nine Articles of the Church of England. […], London: […] R[obert]...

Questions about licks into shape

What is licks into shape the third-person singular simple present indicative of?
Licks into shape is the third-person singular simple present indicative of lick into shape.

Words near licks into shape in the dictionary

  1. lickports
  2. lickpot
  3. lickpots
  4. licks
  5. licks clean
  6. licks into shape
  7. licks of paint
  8. licks of the tarbrush
  9. licks of work
  10. licks one's chops
  11. licks one's lips

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: licks into shape (page history and authors); lick into shape (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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