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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Eli Manning revealed his longstanding prank on rookies during his NFL tenure. Charna Flam, People.com, 7 Feb. 2025 The real owner of Cattelan’s market prank–cum–artwork is Justin Sun, the Chinese crypto-billionaire who bought the work last November at a Sotheby’s auction in New York. Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 7 Feb. 2025
Verb
When a would-be client first dialed Andrew Howard, her timing was so serendipitous that the Jacksonville, Florida, designer thought he was being pranked by someone in his office. Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 10 Feb. 2025 Another pivotal moment for Grande includes how Galinda pranks Elphaba by handing her the eye-catching black witch hat that becomes a staple of her wardrobe, teeing up an emotional scene between the two young women in the Ozdust Ballroom. Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 4 Feb. 2025 See all Example Sentences for prank 

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 21 Feb. 2025.

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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