click

click — verb

1. to operate a computer by pressing the button of a pointing tool, so that the sys

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveA2
Definition

to operate a computer by pressing the button of a pointing tool, so that the system selects an item or runs a command.

Example

Leila clicked the link to open the travel website.

click + object for computer operation

If you want to save the file, just click on the save icon.

click on + icon / button / link

Common collocations
  • click a link
  • click on an icon
  • click a button
  • double-click
  • right-click
  • click through
Synonyms
  • tap

    used for touchscreens rather than mouse clicks

  • press

    more general; can apply to any button or key, not just a mouse

Grammar Patterns

click + noun phrase

click on + noun phrase

Usage Note

Commonly used with the preposition 'on' (click on a link) or as a transitive verb (click the button).

Common Mistakes

Click at the link to continue.
Click the link to continue.' or 'Click on the link to continue.
'click on' and 'click + object' are standard; 'click at' is ungrammatical.
I clicked double the icon.
I double-clicked the icon.
The adverb doubles as a prefix: 'double-click,' 'right-click,' not separate words.

2. to give out, or make something give out, a brief crisp noise — for instance, the

2.verbtransitive / intransitiveC2
Definition

to give out, or make something give out, a brief crisp noise — for instance, the noise of a lock bolt sliding into position.

Example

The old wooden floor clicked under Ravi's boots as he walked across the room.

click under + weight / pressure

Hana clicked her pen nervously during the exam.

click + object to produce a sound

Common collocations
  • click shut
  • click open
  • click into place
  • click against
Synonyms
  • snap

    implies a sharper, more forceful sound

  • pop

    suggests a lighter, more hollow sound

  • clack

    a louder, harder clicking sound

Grammar Patterns

click (intransitive)

click + object

Usage Note

This sense often appears with resultative adjectives (click shut, click open) or prepositions showing direction (click into, click against).

Common Mistakes

The door clicked loudly closed.
The door clicked shut.
Use the resultative adjective 'shut' or 'closed' immediately after the verb, not an adverb.

3. to immediately get along well with someone you have just met, feeling a natural

3.verbintransitiveB2
Definition

to immediately get along well with someone you have just met, feeling a natural sense of friendship or understanding.

Example

Priya and I met at a conference and we just clicked right away.

click (intransitive) for mutual rapport

The new designer did not click with the rest of the team.

Common collocations
  • click with someone
  • click right away
  • click immediately
Synonyms
  • hit it off

    slightly more informal; interchangeable in most contexts

  • get on

    British; describes an ongoing good relationship, not just first meeting

Antonyms
  • clash

    describes strong disagreement or incompatibility

Grammar Patterns

click with + person

two people click

Usage Note

Frequently used in past tense (clicked) and often paired with 'with' to name the person. The subject is usually two or more people, or one person in relation to a group.

Common Mistakes

I clicked with my new boss immediately, but she did not click with me.
My new boss and I clicked immediately.
The mutual sense is clearer when both parties are the subject.

4. to be liked or accepted by a particular person or group, often after an initial

4.verbintransitiveC2
Definition

to be liked or accepted by a particular person or group, often after an initial period of uncertainty.

Example

The new restaurant has really clicked with the local community.

click with + audience / community

Tomás's sense of humour clicked with the audience right away.

Common collocations
  • click with an audience
  • click with viewers
  • click with fans
Synonyms
Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

click with + audience / group

Usage Note

Unlike sense 3 (HIT IT OFF), this sense is one-directional: the subject pleases or satisfies another party, but the feeling does not have to be mutual.

Common Mistakes

The new product clicked to customers.
The new product clicked with customers.
Always use 'with' after 'click' in this sense; 'to' is ungrammatical.

5. to suddenly become understandable or make sense in someone's mind after a period

5.verbintransitiveC2
Definition

to suddenly become understandable or make sense in someone's mind after a period of confusion — for example, when you finally understand how a puzzle works or why someone acted in a certain way.

Example

Nadia stared at the puzzle until the solution suddenly clicked.

click (intransitive) for sudden understanding

It clicked for Kofi when the teacher showed a diagram of the water cycle.

it clicked for + person

Common collocations
  • suddenly click
  • click into place
  • click for someone
  • it clicked that
Synonyms
  • fall into place

    slightly more visual; suggests pieces of a puzzle coming together

  • sink in

    implies the understanding happens slowly over time, not suddenly

  • dawn on

    suggests the realisation comes gradually to someone

Antonyms
  • confuse

    the opposite effect — something makes understanding harder

Grammar Patterns

it clicks (that)

click for + person

click into place

Usage Note

Often used with dummy it (it clicked that...) or the phrase click into place. The subject is usually an idea, solution, or reason — not a person.

Common Mistakes

I clicked the answer.
The answer clicked (for me).
The thing that becomes understood is the subject; the person is introduced with 'for'.
Phrasal verbs

click through

phrasal verb

To press a button on a computer mouse or touch screen to move from one webpage to another.

Sara clicked through the slides to see all the photos.

Did you click through the link I sent you yesterday?

click — noun

Word family

  • clicker
    nounC1
  • clickable
    adjectiveB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four words describe ways of interacting with a computer or device, but they differ in the specific action and the type of interface. Click is tied to a mouse or touchpad button that produces a physical or simulated click sound; you click a hyperlink or an icon. Tap is the touchscreen equivalent — you briefly touch the screen with a finger, without any sound implied. Press is more general and can be used for any button — a keyboard key, a phone keypad, or a physical switch — and the action usually involves pushing down and holding briefly. Select is the broadest term; it means to choose an item from a set, which you can do by clicking, tapping, highlighting with a cursor, or using a keyboard shortcut. For example, you tap an app icon on your phone, click a link on a website, press the Enter key to submit a form, and select a file by clicking or highlighting it.

click ↗tap ↗press ↗select ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

Prepositions

Etymology

English (imitative / onomatopoeic origin)

Click is an onomatopoeic word — its sound echoes the short, sharp noise it describes. It entered English in the early 1500s as a verb for making such a sound. The noun sense (a short, sharp sound) followed soon after. The computer meaning emerged in the 1980s alongside the personal computer mouse, which produces an audible click when its button is pressed. The social and understanding senses (click with someone, something clicks) developed in the 1900s, extending the idea of mechanical fitting or engagement to people and ideas.