frolic
Americannoun
-
frolics
plural
-
merry play; merriment; gaiety; fun.
-
a merrymaking or party.
-
playful behavior or action; prank.
verb (used without object)
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frolics,
present (3rd person singular)
-
frolicked,
past participle, past
-
frolicking
present participle
adjective
noun
-
a light-hearted entertainment or occasion
-
light-hearted activity; gaiety; merriment
verb
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
frolicsimple
-
frolicssimple
-
have frolickedperfect
-
has frolickedperfect
-
am frolickingprogressive
-
are frolickingprogressive
-
is frolickingprogressive
-
have been frolickingperfect progressive
-
has been frolickingperfect progressive
Past
-
frolickedsimple
-
had frolickedperfect
-
was frolickingprogressive
-
were frolickingprogressive
-
had been frolickingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of frolic
1530–40; < Dutch vrolijk joyful (cognate with German fröhlich ), equivalent to vro glad + -lijk -ly
Explanation
A frolic is a light-hearted, fun, often silly activity. To frolic is to cavort, romp, or run around — to have fun. Ever see two puppies playing in the park, wrestling, chasing, and just having a ball with each other? You could say they're having a frolic or frolicking. When we frolic, we're having a fun time. Flying a kite, playing frisbee, skipping around, and having a picnic could be examples of frolics. If things are grim and serious, or you're in a bad mood, then it's tough to frolic. This is one of the happiest, most playful words in the dictionary.
Vocabulary lists containing frolic
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"Nature" by Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
It’s a rare chance for the kids in this neighbourhood to play outside together, in a space big enough to frolic and safe from traffic.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Traipsing through genres and time periods, these excursions are an opportunity for Bi and his creative team to frolic in various cinematic sandboxes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 12, 2025
This was not the barefoot frolic I knew from picnics, not the game of lazy parabolas.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2025
There, the boys frolic and dream amid cinder block walls.
From New York Times ● Apr. 18, 2024
“He laughed more in a morning with you than in two weeks with us. He should frolic with the young folks more, but they’re on their best behavior with a prince.”
From "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine
Most of the country frolics into fall with hot spiced drinks and cute chunky sweaters, but in L.A., we’re forced to cosplay the season.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2024
Clue: It begins with B and rhymes with frolics.
From BBC ● Dec. 26, 2023
Beatrix Potter’s tales about the frolics and misadventures of Peter Rabbit, Squirrel Nutkin, Jemima Puddle-Duck and other animals have charmed children around the globe for well over a century.
From New York Times ● Apr. 26, 2023
In it, a mermaid looks at the Atlantic through a telescope as a seal frolics near her fin.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 21, 2019
“I don’t mean to act any more after this time. I’m getting too old for such things,” observed Meg, who was as much a child as ever about ‘dressing-up’ frolics.
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
"It's getting beyond a joke for a small country town," Peter Hainsworth, 81, told AFP as tourists frolicked on the rolling hills nearby.
From Barron's ● Apr. 30, 2026
These huge, nearly grown cats frolicked, racing beside our ATV as we drove the fence line and sparring on their hind legs—behavior I’d seen only in wild tigers.
From National Geographic ● Nov. 2, 2023
Gaetz frolicked in the pungent aroma of his own stench like a dog admiring its flatulence.
From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2023
The adjacent dry play structures were vacant while a dozen kids frolicked through the fountain and tried to catch the water in plastic bags.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 17, 2023
Wind frolicked the skirt and made the scarecrow sway—made it seem a creature forlornly dancing in the cold December field.
From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote
We would be sipping ice-cold spritzes at cafés overlooking the Mediterranean, frolicking down cobblestone streets lined with charming boutiques, and marveling at the frescoes and marble sculptures adorning grand cathedrals.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
Opening credits of Warner Bros.’ 1990s sitcom “Friends,” featured the then 20-something cast members frolicking in a fountain near the center of the lot.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
Some videos show puppies frolicking or close-ups of squirrels, others stream loops of squishy toys enjoyed by other animals or humans.
From BBC ● Apr. 9, 2026
Before that he was a young boy, born on Halloween, frolicking among unmarked headstones as the son of funerary masons.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2025
While everyone spent the day frolicking in the sand and water, I stayed in the hotel room so I could soak in the silence.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
