prank

[ prangk ]

/ præŋk /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR prank ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

Nearby words

prandially, prandtl, prandtl number, prang, pranidhana, prank, prankish, prankishly, prankster, pranky, prao

Origin of prank

First recorded in 1520–30; origin uncertain

SYNONYMS FOR prank

caper, escapade, antic, shenanigan.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR prank ON THESAURUS.COM

Definition for prank (2 of 2)

prank

[ prangk ]

/ præŋk /

verb (used with object)

to dress or adorn in an ostentatious manner: They were all pranked out in their fanciest clothes.

verb (used without object)

to make an ostentatious show or display.

Origin of prank

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

Related forms

un·pranked, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for prank

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-Disclosure|Marlow Stern|November 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The phone call was dismissed as a prank, despite the sound of gunfire in the background.
The Israeli Way of Death|Miranda Frum|July 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST
He laughed like a schoolboy in anticipation of a prank, and held his scented handkerchief to his nose.
El Dorado|Baroness Orczy
Jeanne, meditating some prank in this respect, was even now stealthily watching him with her glittering eyes.
A Love Episode|Emile Zola
The scene of the prank was not in itself so bad as the stuff which a cunning anecdotist could make out of it.
The Adventures of Harry Richmond, Complete|George Meredith
The grandmother who washes the baby and even the street boy who plays a prank had to be replaced by quick little comedies.
The Photoplay|Hugo Mnsterberg
It resembles the prank of boys, who run with fire engines to put out the ruddy aurora streaming to the stars.
Essays|Ralph Waldo Emerson

British Dictionary definitions for prank (1 of 2)

prank

/ (præŋk) /

noun

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

Derived Forms

prankish, adjective

Word Origin for prank

C16: of unknown origin

British Dictionary definitions for prank (2 of 2)

prank

/ (præŋk) /

verb

(tr) to dress or decorate showily or gaudily

(intr) to make an ostentatious display

Word Origin for prank

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