Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1400-1500
Origin: From the sound of a light blow

flick

1 verb
     
flick1
1 [transitive usually + adverb/preposition] to make something move away by hitting or pushing it suddenly or quickly, especially with your thumb and finger:
Papa flicked the ash from his cigar.
2 [intransitive,transitive always + adverb/preposition] to move with a sudden quick movement, or to make something move in this way
flick from/up/down
The cow's tail flicked from side to side.
flick something up/down etc
Jackie flicked her long hair back.
3 [transitive] to move a switch so that a machine or piece of electrical equipment starts or stops [= flip]:
I felt inside the doorway and flicked the light switch.
flick something on/off
Sandra flicked the TV on.
4

flick a glance/look at somebody/something

British English to look very quickly at someone or something:
Leith flicked a glance at her watch.
5 [transitive] if you flick something such as a towel or rope, you move it so that the end moves quickly away from you:
The old man flicked his whip and the horses moved off.

flick through something

phrasal verb
to look at a book, magazine, set of photographs etc quickly:
Will flicked through Carla's photo album.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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