dick

dick — noun

1. a very rude and offensive word for a male sexual organ, used as a swear word or

1.noun
Definition

a very rude and offensive word for a male sexual organ, used as a swear word or in crude jokes rather than as a medical term.

Example

The boys giggled when someone drew a picture of a dick on the blackboard.

slang equivalent for 'penis'

Naoko told her to stop making crude jokes about his dick at the dinner table.

Common collocations
  • suck someone's dick
  • dick and balls
  • dick joke
Synonyms
  • penis

    the neutral medical term, appropriate in any context

  • cock

    also vulgar slang, carries a similar level of offensiveness

Usage Note

Considered highly offensive in almost all social situations. Avoid using it in any formal, professional, educational, or public setting. The neutral medical term is 'penis'.

2. a deeply insulting slang term directed at someone, usually a man, whose actions

2.noun
Definition

a deeply insulting slang term directed at someone, usually a man, whose actions you find stupid, annoying, or unpleasant.

Example

Some dick cut me off on the highway and then sped away.

used as an insult for a stranger

Jabari called his coworker a total dick after the argument.

Common collocations
  • some dick
  • a total dick
  • being a dick
Synonyms
  • jerk

    less offensive, informal but not vulgar

  • asshole

    vulgar, similar level of offensiveness

  • bastard

    vulgar, more common in British English

Antonyms

Usage Note

Extremely offensive when used directly to someone's face. Even when used about someone not present, it is still very rude and considered vulgar. Less offensive alternatives include 'jerk' or 'idiot'.

3. an old-fashioned informal word for a detective, from earlier crime stories, film

3.noun
Definition

an old-fashioned informal word for a detective, from earlier crime stories, films, and pulp novels of the early to mid-1900s.

Example

In the old black-and-white film, a private dick follows a cheating husband across town.

dated slang: private dick

Dahlia's grandfather still calls police detectives dicks the way people did in the 1940s.

Common collocations
  • private dick
Synonyms
  • detective

    the standard modern term, appropriate in all contexts

  • private eye

    informal but current and widely understood

Usage Note

Very dated and rarely used today by younger speakers. Modern audiences mostly encounter it in older crime novels, film noir, or historical period pieces. Using it in modern conversation may cause confusion with the vulgar slang senses.

Common Mistakes

The dick solved the murder case.' (modern writing)
The detective solved the murder case.
'Dick' for detective is very dated and will likely be misunderstood as the vulgar insult.

Word family

  • dickhead
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

All four words can be used to insult a man for behaving badly, but they differ in offensiveness and register. 'Jerk' is the mildest — informal and common in everyday speech, but not considered vulgar. 'Dick' is stronger and carries sexual overtones even when used as a general insult. 'Asshole' is similarly vulgar and widely used across American English. 'Bastard' is common in British English but can sound theatrical or dated in American English. In terms of intensity: jerk < dick ≈ asshole ≈ bastard. Example: 'My boss is a real jerk' sounds mild; 'My boss is a real dick' sounds angry and crude.

jerk ↗asshole ↗bastard ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • a total dick
  • some dick
  • private dick

Etymology

EnglishEnglish slang

The origin is unclear, but 'dick' as a slang term for penis has been recorded since the late 1800s. The name Dick, a nickname for Richard, had long been used in English as a generic term for 'fellow' or 'man' — which may have fed into both the sexual sense and the detective sense ('private dick' from 'private detective,' possibly influenced by the generic-man meaning). The insult sense ('stupid person') developed directly from the penis sense in the 1900s.