Dictionary.com

Popular Searches

 Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

prank

1 American  
[prangk] / præŋk /

noun

  1. a trick of an amusing, playful, or sometimes malicious nature.

    Synonyms:
    shenanigan, antic, escapade, caper
prank 2 American  
[prangk] / præŋk /

verb (used with object)

  1. to dress or adorn in an ostentatious manner.

    They were all pranked out in their fanciest clothes.

verb (used without object)

  1. to make an ostentatious show or display.

prank 1 British  
/ præŋk /

verb

  1. (tr) to dress or decorate showily or gaudily

  2. (intr) to make an ostentatious display

"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
prank 2 British  
/ præŋk /

noun

  1. a mischievous trick or joke, esp one in which something is done rather than said

"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

Usage

What is a prank call? A prank call or crank call is when a person calls someone up to make a joke or play a trick on them. Teenagers may make prank calls to random people while comedians may use them to dupe political figures. Though meant to be humorous and playful, they can have serious consequences.

Other Word Forms

  • prankish adjective
  • unpranked adjective

Etymology

Origin of prank1

First recorded in 1520–30; origin uncertain

Origin of prank2

1540–50; akin to Dutch pronken to show off, strut, pronk show, finery, Middle Low German prank pomp

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.

When I opened a bag of cat food, I thought it was a prank.

From The Wall Street Journal

It would get well into the afternoon and they'd still be there, drinking coffee, chatting, playing pranks on each other and up to stuff you wouldn't believe.

From BBC

Reed said he thought it might have been an isolated prank — his next-door neighbors didn’t receive any such messages — until his sister showed him a neighborhood Facebook page.

From Los Angeles Times

Banksy soon took credit for the prank, saying he hid the remote-controlled shredder in the frame.

From The Wall Street Journal

She’d tell stories of the tricky little monkeys from Ghanaian myths who liked to cause trouble, play pranks, and … whistle.

From Literature

Definitions 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.