frisk

[ frisk ]

/ frɪsk /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: frisk / frisking on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)

to dance, leap, skip, or gambol; frolic: The dogs and children frisked about on the lawn.

verb (used with object)

to search (a person) for concealed weapons, contraband goods, etc., by feeling the person's clothing: The police frisked both of the suspects.

noun

a leap, skip, or caper.

a frolic or gambol.

the act of frisking a person.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of frisk

1425–75; late Middle English, as adj. <Middle French frisque, perhaps a spelling variant (with mute s) of fri(c)que lively, smart <Germanic (compare Middle Dutch vrec,Old High German freh avaricious, Middle High German vrech brave, German frech insolent); or <Middle French (Flanders) frisque<Middle Dutch friscfresh

OTHER WORDS FROM frisk

frisker, nounfrisk·ing·ly, adverbun·frisk·ing, adjective

Words nearby frisk

frisette, friseur, Frisian, Frisian carving, Frisian Islands, frisk, frisket, frisky, frisson, frit, frites

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

How to use frisk in a sentence

Among those, there were more than 90 instances where people lost money or cars, taken most often during traffic stops, frisks and home searches — even though there weren’t related drug convictions or drug charges.
Massachusetts Police Can Easily Seize Your Money. The DA of One County Makes It Nearly Impossible to Get It Back.|by Saurabh Datar and Shannon Dooling, WBUR|August 18, 2021|ProPublica
“It’s an incredibly important part of our future,” Frisk said of the company’s connected shoes.
How the pandemic has changed the fitness industry|Danielle Abril|December 2, 2020|Fortune
Another issue was stop and frisk, which the police had been using to keep shootings down.
Bronx Gunman Shot His Friend, Didn’t Spill His Drink|Michael Daly|August 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When being processed into solitary confinement, known as the Special Housing Unit, or SHU, the frisk is even more severe.
Patted Down by India’s Hugging Saint|Daniel Genis|July 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST

“We will reform a broken stop-and-frisk policy to protect the dignity and rights of young men of color,” he bellowed.
The NYPD’s Racist War on Pot|Abby Haglage|June 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The reason was simple, stop-and-frisk was the high profile cause that grabbed headlines.
Was it Justice or Politics that Killled the NYPD Muslim Spy Unit?|Azi Paybarah|April 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The official compared the change in intelligence strategy to the shift in “stop, question, and frisk” tactics in the street.
NYPD Will Continue Spying in the Muslim Community With Undercovers, Informants|Michael Daly|April 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But Tidy was foolish and proud, and, the next time he went out, he began to frisk about very gayly.
St. Nicholas, Vol. 5, No. 5, March, 1878|Various
Would that we were like unto these ewe lambs, that we might frisk and gambol among them without evil.
The Fiend's Delight|Dod Grile
When grandpa bought Oliver he carried him home between his knees in the carriage, while he drove Frisk, the pony.
Toots and his Friends|Kate Tannatt Woods
Oh, what a fine view Jimmie had, but he didn't dare frisk around as Billie and Johnnie did, for he was a trifle dizzy.
Lulu, Alice and Jimmie Wibblewobble|Howard R. Garis
Is not this like telling a sick man to get well, or a decrepit old creature to skip and frisk like a child?
The Expositor's Bible: The Book of Joshua|William Garden Blaikie

British Dictionary definitions for frisk

frisk

/ (frɪsk) /

verb

(intr) to leap, move about, or act in a playful manner; frolic

(tr) (esp of animals) to whisk or wave brisklythe dog frisked its tail

(tr)

to search (someone) by feeling for concealed weapons, etc
to rob by searching in this way

noun

a playful antic or movement; frolic

the act or an instance of frisking a person

Derived forms of frisk

frisker, nounfriskingly, adverb

Word Origin for frisk

C16: from Old French frisque, of Germanic origin; related to Old High German frisc lively, fresh

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

frisk

Origin of frisk

OTHER WORDS FROM frisk

Words nearby frisk

Words related to frisk

How to use frisk in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for frisk

Derived forms of frisk

Word Origin for frisk