LARP

American  

[lahrp] / lɑrp /

Or larp

noun

1. live action role-playing: a fantasy role-playing game in which participants dress in costume, use props, and act out roles.

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verb (used without object)

LARPed, LARPing

1. to participate in a live action role-playing game.

LARP British  

/ lɑːp /

noun

1. a type of role-playing game in which each participant assumes a particular character and acts out various scenarios at events which last for a predetermined time

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verb

1. (intr) to participate in such an event

Other Word Forms

• LARPer
  noun
• LARPing
  noun
• larper
  noun

Etymology

Origin of LARP

First recorded in 1990–95

Example Sentences

It was a hit, so much so that it has essentially been re-imagined by Knott’s Berry Farm and continues to live as Ghost Town Alive, proving that mainstream audiences are, in fact, ready to LARP.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 16, 2022

From Friday till Sunday, they enacted their individual roles as members of a complex society of vampires — and participants in a LARP.

From New York Times • Sep. 3, 2015

The value of a well-crafted LARP, Mr. Tusk feels, lies beyond its characters and content.

From New York Times • Sep. 3, 2015

Mr. Tusk suggested another view of the impact of LARP.

From New York Times • Sep. 3, 2015

Wretched Daylight is another LARP, rival vampire clans and vampire hunters, and it's got its own quirky rules.

From Little Brother by Doctorow, Cory