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

Larp is a popular hobby where players invent a character and do everything they would do or say in any given circumstance.

From BBC

Members of smaller groups attend the event, including those from Treasure Trap, believed to be the oldest and longest-running Larp group of its kind, which is now based at Durham University.

From BBC

Some are apolitical converts or reverts, who love the “larp” of it, as Yost noted.

From Slate

“LARP. It stands for live-action role-playing,” Elena explains.

From Literature

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