jinks

British  

/ dʒɪŋks /

plural noun

1. boisterous or mischievous play (esp in the phrase high jinks )

---

jinks Idioms  

1. see high jinks.

---

Etymology

Origin of jinks

C18: of unknown origin

Example Sentences

A lot of time-travel high jinks follow, familiar in their broad outlines but unconventional and highly entertaining in their specifics.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026

I loved watching Van Dyke’s character, Rob Petrie, manage high jinks at work and home.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 2, 2026

Yet the comic high jinks, star-crossed lovers and long-lost relatives that pop up in his play “The Miser,” first produced in 1668, will be instantly familiar to anybody who has ever seen a Shakespeare comedy.

From New York Times • May 3, 2024

“Ain’t Got No Home,” which reached No. 30 on the Billboard Hot 100, became Henry’s signature hit and definitively captured his humor and his vocal high jinks.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 12, 2024

Smith’s high jinks with the press and Seabiscuit’s recent history of scratches had come back to haunt him.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand