click

 
Pronunciation: /klɪk/

noun

  • a short, sharp sound as of a switch being operated or of two hard objects coming smartly into contact: she heard the click of the door
  • Phonetics a speech sound produced as a type of plosive by sudden withdrawal of the tongue from the soft palate, front teeth, or back teeth and hard palate, occurring in some southern African and other languages.
  • Computing an act of pressing a button on a mouse or similar device: it’s normal for a click to select an item

verb

  • 1make or cause to make a click: [no object]: the key clicked in the lock and the door opened Martha clicked her tongue (as adjective clicking) the clicking cameras outside the church
  • Computing press one of the buttons on a mouse to select a function or item on the screen: [no object]: you can click on an underlined word to jump to another section [with object]: click the left mouse button twice
  • (click through) Computing press one of the buttons on a mouse in order to follow a hyperlink to another file or web page : click through to the website to buy the CD
  • 2 [no object] informal become suddenly clear or understandable: I wasn’t used to such good treatment, then it clicked: we were wearing suits
  • quickly become friendly or intimate: I couldn’t help notice how pretty and intelligent she was and we just clicked I didn’t meet a woman who I really clicked with until I was 40
  • become successful or popular: I don’t think this issue has clicked with the voters

Phrases

click one's fingers

see finger.

click into place

become suddenly clear and understandable: given this info, everything soon clicks into place

clicks and mortar

used to refer to a traditional business that has expanded its activities to operate also on the Internet: [as modifier]: the way forward for us is as a clicks-and-mortar business

Derivatives

clicky

adjective

Origin:

late 16th century (as a verb): imitative