prank1
[prangk]
- a trick of an amusing, playful, or sometimes malicious nature.
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Origin of prank1
First recorded in 1520–30; origin uncertain
Synonyms
See more synonyms for prank on Thesaurus.comcaper, escapade, antic, shenanigan.
prank2
[prangk]
- to dress or adorn in an ostentatious manner: They were all pranked out in their fanciest clothes.
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- to make an ostentatious show or display.
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Origin of prank2
1540–50; akin to Dutch pronken to show off, strut, pronk show, finery, Middle Low German prank pomp
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for prank
Contemporary Examples
My mother removed them patiently while Grace cackled, thrilled that her prank had been a success.
Welcome to Generation Overshare: Lena Dunham, Taylor Swift, and the Politics of Self-DisclosureMarlow Stern
November 6, 2014
The phone call was dismissed as a prank, despite the sound of gunfire in the background.
No one is questioning the urge to get up close and personal with Bradley Cooper, but this prank feels both invasive and dumb.
An Analysis of Vitalii Sediuk’s Pranks (He’s the Guy Who Touched Brad Pitt)Amy Zimmerman
May 29, 2014
The prank itself seems meaningless, and the reaction was un-extraordinary: all in all, a dud.
An Analysis of Vitalii Sediuk’s Pranks (He’s the Guy Who Touched Brad Pitt)Amy Zimmerman
May 29, 2014
Cooper good-naturedly laughed off the prank, before eliciting help from some other actors for speedy Sediuk removal.
An Analysis of Vitalii Sediuk’s Pranks (He’s the Guy Who Touched Brad Pitt)Amy Zimmerman
May 29, 2014
Historical Examples
Having retired to his own house, he often played off many a prank.
The Memoirs of Louis XIV., His Court and The Regency, CompleteDuc de Saint-Simon
In earliest youth he had been a merry prank; he was still a prank, but not often merry.
A Great ManArnold Bennett
She smiled at him glowingly, thinking she had caught him at a prank.
Life SentenceJames McConnell
Whether divine or of what origin I will not have judged by that night's prank of mine.
Simon DaleAnthony Hope
It might be a prank—or something like that—but it would n't be wrong.
The Cross-CutCourtney Ryley Cooper
prank1
- a mischievous trick or joke, esp one in which something is done rather than said
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Word Origin
C16: of unknown origin
prank2
- (tr) to dress or decorate showily or gaudily
- (intr) to make an ostentatious display
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Word Origin
C16: from Middle Dutch pronken; related to German Prunk splendour, prangen to be in full splendour
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
Word Origin and History for prank
n.
"a ludicrous trick" [Johnson], 1520s, of uncertain origin, perhaps related to obsolete verb prank "decorate, dress up" (mid-15c.), related to Middle Low German prank "display" (cf. also Dutch pronken, German prunken "to make a show, to strut"). The verb in the modern sense also is from 1520s. Related: Pranked; pranking.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper