to press a button on a computer mouse or touchpad to select or open something on a screen
Just click the blue icon to start the video call.
He accidentally clicked a pop-up ad and had to close it.
✦ Extended from the original ‘make a clicking sound’; first used in computing in the 1980s with early computer mice.
the act of pressing a button on a computer mouse or touchpad, or one instance of doing so
A single click will open the file.
The advertisement got thousands of clicks in one day.
✦ Borrowed from the computing verb sense developed in the 1980s.
to make a short, sharp sound like a tiny snap or tap
The lock clicked shut as Maya turned the key.
Every time the old camera took a photo, it clicked loudly.
✦ Early 17th-century imitative origin; the word mimics the sharp sound it describes.
to fasten, lock, or move firmly into position with a small snapping sound
The seat belt clicked when she pulled it across her chest.
Make sure the baby’s stroller handle clicks into place.
✦ Extension of the basic sound sense, applied to mechanisms that make this noise when secured.
a short, sharp sound like a tiny snap or tap
With a loud click, the lights went out.
She heard the click of high heels in the hallway.
✦ Imitative; the noun arose alongside the verb in the early 17th century.
to suddenly understand or become clear in one’s mind
After the hint, the math problem finally clicked for her.
Halfway through the lecture, the concept clicked and I started taking better notes.
✦ Metaphoric extension from the noise of a switch engaging: ideas ‘snap into place’ like parts of a machine.
(of people) to immediately like, understand, or get along with each other
The two new teammates clicked from the first practice.
I knew we would click when we discovered our shared love of jazz.
✦ Figurative use from parts of machinery meshing together smoothly.
