prank
1 of 3noun
ˈpraŋk 
: trick:
a
obsolete : a malicious act
b
: a mildly mischievous act
c
: a ludicrous act
prank
2 of 3verb (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 pranked …
Lucius Shepard
Lucius ShepardOn 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
Lorenzo Benet2
intransitive, obsolete : to play tricks or pranks
prank
3 of 3verb (2)
pranked; pranking; pranks
intransitive verb
: to show oneself off
transitive verb
: to dress or adorn gaily or showily
Synonyms
Noun
- antic
- caper
- capriccio
- dido
- escapade
- frolic
- gag
- jest
- knavery
- monkeyshine(s)
- practical joke
- rag [chiefly British]
- roguery
- shavie [Scottish]
- shine(s)
- trick
- waggery
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
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 Christine Mui, Fortune, 1 Aug. 2022 Is Microsoft Defender a prank, a marketing stunt being played by Microsoft’s PR department? Barry Collins, Forbes, 2 July 2022 In season 8 of Vanderpump Rules, Schwartz and Maloney got in an argument about a prank costar Jax Taylor played on Tom Sandoval. Jessica Booth, Peoplemag, 31 Aug. 2022 The elaborate high school graduation prank—dubbed The Big Rick by its architects—was one of the largest rickrolls to ever take place, taking months of planning to pull off. WIRED, 24 Aug. 2022 One evening, as a drunken prank, Sheene, Jr., set off a fire alarm near the Bidens’ home, causing a commotion. Adam Entous, The New Yorker, 15 Aug. 2022 Seth McTigue writes, directs and stars as the leader of a shady group hired to kidnap a young CEO (Sam Song Li) as a birthday prank by the guy's black-sheep older brother (Roy Huang), a plan that goes sideways when the criminals get greedy. Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 7 July 2022 People will assume that this is just another prank or prankster trying to be funny. Lance Eliot, Forbes, 26 Aug. 2022 Hart’s prank was not only in response to Cannon’s growing list of kids. Tim Chan, Rolling Stone, 24 Aug. 2022 See More
Noun
Though that was later revealed to be a prank, the jeweler eventually minted 499 physical 18k gold TiffCoins, priced at $9,999 and made available during a 24-hour window on Tiffany’s website. Christine Mui, Fortune, 1 Aug. 2022 Is Microsoft Defender a prank, a marketing stunt being played by Microsoft’s PR department? Barry Collins, Forbes, 2 July 2022 In season 8 of Vanderpump Rules, Schwartz and Maloney got in an argument about a prank costar Jax Taylor played on Tom Sandoval. Jessica Booth, Peoplemag, 31 Aug. 2022 The elaborate high school graduation prank—dubbed The Big Rick by its architects—was one of the largest rickrolls to ever take place, taking months of planning to pull off. WIRED, 24 Aug. 2022 One evening, as a drunken prank, Sheene, Jr., set off a fire alarm near the Bidens’ home, causing a commotion. Adam Entous, The New Yorker, 15 Aug. 2022 Seth McTigue writes, directs and stars as the leader of a shady group hired to kidnap a young CEO (Sam Song Li) as a birthday prank by the guy's black-sheep older brother (Roy Huang), a plan that goes sideways when the criminals get greedy. Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 7 July 2022 People will assume that this is just another prank or prankster trying to be funny. Lance Eliot, Forbes, 26 Aug. 2022 Hart’s prank was not only in response to Cannon’s growing list of kids. Tim Chan, Rolling Stone, 24 Aug. 2022 See More 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
Kids Definition
prank
noun
ˈpraŋk
: a mischievous act : practical joke
prank
noun
as in trick
a playful or mischievous act intended as a joke as a prank, several students managed to change all the classroom clocks to different times Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- trick
- joking
- escapade
- adventure
- gag
- caper
- experience
- shine(s)
- antic
- stunt
- game
- kidding
- practical joke
- hoax
- knavery
- roguery
- time
- waggery
- rag
- frolic
- performance
- hijinks
- feat
- jest
- capriccio
- shavie
- monkeyshine(s)
- play
- lark
- dido
- deed
- teasing
- tomfoolery
- horseplay
- skylarking
- roughhousing
- mission
- ploy
- ruse
- gambit
- rowdyism
- shenanigan(s)
- high jinks
- deception
- trickery
- maneuver
- subterfuge
- fooling
- stratagem
- whim
- whimsy
- whimsey
- deceit
- fraud
- delusion
- caprice
- conceit
- vagary
- wile
- sham
- hoodwinking
- hanky-panky
- fancy
