prank

1 of 3

noun

: trick:
a
obsolete : a malicious act
b
: a mildly mischievous act
c
: a ludicrous act

prank

2 of 3

verb (1)

pranked; pranking
1
transitive : to play a trick or prank on (someone)
… you feel shock, dismay, then anger as it dawns on you that you've been prankedLucius Shepard
On the day of the ceremony, a stuntwoman pal, dressed to look like Swanson, kicked things off by pranking the audience and falling down a flight of stairs. (The crowd went from gasping to laughing once the ruse was revealed.)Lorenzo Benet
2
intransitive obsolete : to play tricks or pranks

prank

3 of 3

verb (2)

pranked; pranking; pranks

intransitive verb

: to show oneself off

transitive verb

: to dress or adorn gaily or showily

Examples of prank in a Sentence

Noun He enjoys playing pranks on his friends. as a prank, several students managed to change all the classroom clocks to different times
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Many Americans perceive TikTok as an app where children and young adults post videos of elaborate dances or slapstick pranks. Max Zahn, ABC News, 15 Mar. 2024 The parties could last several days and nights, with gamers crowded together among heavy computers and fast food boxes, crashing underneath their desks in sleeping bags and taking breaks to pull pranks on each other or watch movies. Steffi Cao, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024 From time to time Michael blows off steam by playing bafflingly juvenile pranks. Sam Hurwitt, The Mercury News, 2 Feb. 2024 By June, the hotline had received more than 30,000 prank calls from out-of-state robots, local critics and even a handful of radio DJs. Nick Sullivan, The Arizona Republic, 22 Jan. 2024 Drew Barrymore's daughter loves to pull this one prank on her mom. Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 1 Mar. 2024 The prank, trending on TikTok, involves dozens of women calling up their fathers, brothers, and partners about landing a six-figure job offer at an offshore oil rig. Sunny Nagpaul, Fortune, 27 Feb. 2024 But Millie’s starry-eyed hustle becomes jeopardised by odd new friends, vengeful dorm pranks and illicit intrigue. Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 7 Feb. 2024 What started off as an April Fools' Day prank between Burt's Bees and Hidden Valley Ranch has become a reality. C Mandler, CBS News, 18 Jan. 2024
Verb
The story begins with a cranky new coworker whom Breuer wanted to prank by pretending to be Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi on a phone call. Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 4 Jan. 2024 The Franke parents were criticized online for certain parenting decisions, including for banning their oldest son from his bedroom for seven months for pranking his younger brother. Hannah Schoenbaum, Fortune, 21 Feb. 2024 In September, Haines revealed that she too was pranked by various members of The View family, after her penchant for having multiple mugs of liquid in front of her at the Hot Topics table became a fan-favorite meme. Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 5 Jan. 2024 The Game of Thrones creators would prank him In an appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden, the actor revealed that Game of Thrones creators D.B. Weiss and David Benioff tried to prank him with a fake script during season 2. Emma Kershaw, Peoplemag, 20 Jan. 2024 Among those pranking him is James Marsden, who plays a not-quite-real version of himself and buddies up to Gladden as the two of them are chosen to serve on a jury. Jennifer M. Wood, WIRED, 29 Dec. 2023 The Franke family was criticized for their parenting decisions, including banning their oldest son from his bedroom for seven months for pranking his younger brother. CBS News, 17 Dec. 2023 Entertainment & Arts Banksy pranks auction by shredding million-dollar painting. Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 21 Nov. 2023 In a clip from Monday night's episode of the singing competition series, debuting exclusively with PEOPLE, the late-night host pranked the coaches and put on an impressive performance onstage. Daniela Avila, Peoplemag, 20 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'prank.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

obsolete prank to play tricks

Verb (2)

probably from Dutch pronken to strut; akin to Middle High German gebrunkel glitter of metal

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1529, in the meaning defined above

Verb (1)

circa 1530, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of prank was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near prank

Cite this Entry

“Prank.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prank. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

prank

noun
ˈpraŋk
: a playful or mischievous act : trick
prankish
ˈpraŋ-kish
adjective
prankishness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on prank

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