lark

[ lahrk ]

/ lɑrk /

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See synonyms for: lark / larked / larking / larks on Thesaurus.com

noun

any of numerous, chiefly Old World oscine birds, of the family Alaudidae, characterized by an unusually long, straight hind claw, especially the skylark, Alauda arvensis.

any of various similar birds of other families, as the meadowlark and titlark.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of lark

before 900; Middle English larke,Old English lāwerce; cognate with German Lerche,Dutch leeuwerik,Old Norse lǣvirki

Words nearby lark

La Rioja, Larisa, Larissa, larithmics, larixinic acid, lark, lark bunting, Larkin, lark it up, lark sparrow, larkspur

Other definitions for lark (2 of 2)

lark²

[ lahrk ]

/ lɑrk /

noun

a merry, carefree adventure; frolic; escapade.

innocent or good-natured mischief; a prank.

something extremely easy to accomplish, succeed in, or to obtain: That exam was a lark.

verb (used without object)

to have fun; frolic; romp.

to behave mischievously; play pranks.

Fox Hunting. (of a rider) to take jumps unnecessarily: He tired his horse by larking on the way home.

Origin of lark

First recorded in 1805–15; origin uncertain

OTHER WORDS FROM lark

larker, nounlark·i·ness, lark·ish·ness, nounlark·ing·ly, adverblarkish, larky, adjective

lark·ish·ly, adverblarksome, adjective

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

How to use lark in a sentence

What began as a lark turned into Noah Basketball, named not-so-subtly for the biblical Noah’s ark story.
How Shot-Tracking Is Changing The Way Basketball Players Fix Their Game|Ben Dowsett|August 16, 2021|FiveThirtyEight
Having a quest is an excellent way to travel, even if it’s just a lark.
My Quest to Surf Every Coastal State|eriley|July 28, 2021|Outside Online
There are many other reasons why couples are increasingly choosing to sleep apart, including differences in sleep-wake schedules—she’s a lark, he’s an owl, differences in work schedules, and children, to name a few.
'Separate Beds Are a Bad Sign' and 5 Other Sleep Myths That Are Hurting Your Relationship|Wendy Troxel|June 2, 2021|Time
It was all just a lark, a prank pulled by Jones to pass the stagnant time.
How Two WWI POWs Conned Their Way Out With a Ouija Board|Margalit Fox|May 31, 2021|The Daily Beast

Topher Grace, a varsity tennis player, got hurt, decided to do a school play on a lark and BAM!
Making Space for Topher Grace|Eugene Robinson|May 19, 2021|Ozy
Free Crimea, we ultimately discover, is the work of a drunken Brit on a lark.
This 1979 Novel Predicted Putin’s Invasion Of Crimea|Michael Weiss|May 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But what started as a lark became a professional passion for Holland.
Porn's Behind-the-Camera Feminists|Emily Shire|February 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The idea was conceived by a food scientist at Brigham Young University, who added dry ice to the cultured dairy on a lark.
The 21 Worst Food Ideas Ever||September 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Like so many young girls, she tried modeling as a lark, a way of escaping the humdrum and finding glamour.
Vogue Creative Director Grace Coddington’s Memoir Offers Few Revelations|Robin Givhan|November 20, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Mercury on a lark in your opposite sign calls for expressions that run counter to the woulda-shoulda-coulda loop in your mind.
What the Stars Hold for Your Week, June 26-July 2, 2011|Starsky + Cox|June 26, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Hence Shakespeare speaks of 'the lark, that tirra-lyra chants,' Wint.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 1 (of 7) -- Romaunt of the Rose; Minor Poems|Geoffrey Chaucer
High overhead a lark was pouring out its song; in the lane at the orchard end rang the beat of trotting hoofs.
Mistress Wilding|Rafael Sabatini
Or how is it that grass grows in the fields, and the lark sings in the sky, and the trees lose their leaves in winter?
The Whale and the Grasshopper|Seumas O'Brien
He was as gay as a lark, humming an Oppra tune, and twizzting round his head his hevy gold-headed cane.
Memoirs of Mr. Charles J. Yellowplush|William Makepeace Thackeray
Up we marched to our apartmince, me carrying the light and the cloax, master hummink a hair out of the oppra, as merry as a lark.
Memoirs of Mr. Charles J. Yellowplush|William Makepeace Thackeray

British Dictionary definitions for lark (1 of 2)

lark¹

/ (lɑːk) /

noun

any brown songbird of the predominantly Old World family Alaudidae, esp the skylark: noted for their singing

short for titlark, meadowlark

(often capital) any of various slender but powerful fancy pigeons, such as the Coburg Lark

up with the lark up early in the morning

Word Origin for lark

Old English lāwerce, lǣwerce, of Germanic origin; related to German Lerche, Icelandic lǣvirki

British Dictionary definitions for lark (2 of 2)

lark²

/ (lɑːk) informal /

noun

a carefree adventure or frolic

a harmless piece of mischief

what a lark! how amusing!

verb (intr)

(often foll by about) to have a good time by frolicking

to play a prank

Derived forms of lark

larker, nounlarkish, adjectivelarkishness, noun

Word Origin for lark

C19: originally slang, perhaps related to laik

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with lark

lark

In addition to the idiom beginning with lark

lark it up

also see:

happy as the day is long (as a lark)

lark

Origin of lark

Words nearby lark

Other definitions for lark (2 of 2)

Origin of lark

OTHER WORDS FROM lark

Words related to lark

How to use lark in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for lark (1 of 2)

Word Origin for lark

British Dictionary definitions for lark (2 of 2)

Derived forms of lark

Word Origin for lark

Other Idioms and Phrases with lark