frisk

[frisk]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR frisk 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.

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 frisc fresh

Related formsfrisk·er, nounfrisk·ing·ly, adverbun·frisk·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for frisk

caper, play, rollick, romp, dance, skip, frolic, bounce, jump, leap, prance, hop, lark, sport, trip, gambol, inspect, fan, check

Examples from the Web for frisk

Contemporary Examples of frisk

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
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
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
Would there be an end to the way cops stop, question, and frisk people on the street?
Bill Bratton Vs. Ray Kelly
Christopher Dickey
December 12, 2013
“Whether you look at CompStat or you talk about ‘stop and frisk,’ it comes down to the same thing,” he says.
Bill Bratton Vs. Ray Kelly
Christopher Dickey
December 12, 2013

Historical Examples of frisk

After all, it was Frisk who did it, and I did not even see Frisk do it.
The Story of the White-Rock Cove
Anonymous
Then you had Frisk with you, and I suppose as playful as usual?
The Story of the White-Rock Cove
Anonymous
He wanted to take with him his drum and his rocking-chair, and Frisk his dog.
The Nursery, December 1873, Vol. XIV. No. 6
Various
It's long past Frisk's dinner-time, and he has not brought her food!
Fruits of Culture
Leo Tolstoy
When I frisk a pair of cut-throats with them, it's different.
Laramie Holds the Range
Frank H. Spearman

British Dictionary definitions for frisk

frisk

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 Formsfrisker, 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

Word Origin and History for frisk

1510s, "to dance, frolic," from Middle English frisk "lively" (mid-15c.), from Middle French frisque "lively, brisk," from Old French frisque "fresh, new; merry, animated" (13c.), possibly from a Germanic source (cf. Middle Dutch vrisch "fresh," Old High German frisc "lively;" see fresh (adj.1)). Sense of "pat down in a search" first recorded 1781. Related: Frisked; frisking. As a noun from 1520s.