shenanigan

[ shuh-nan-i-guhn ]
See synonyms for shenanigan on Thesaurus.com
nounInformal.
  1. Usually shenanigans.

    • mischief; prankishness: Halloween shenanigans.

    • deceit; trickery.

  2. a mischievous or deceitful trick, practice, etc.

Origin of shenanigan

1
An Americanism dating back to 1850–55; of obscure origin

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use shenanigan in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for shenanigan

shenanigan

/ (ʃɪˈnænɪɡən) /


nouninformal
  1. (usually plural) roguishness; mischief

  2. an act of treachery; deception

Origin of shenanigan

1
C19: of unknown origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012