prank

[prangk]

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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 formsun·pranked, adjective

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

Related Words for pranking

bedeck, embellish, festoon, beautify, embroider, adorn, dress, trim, illuminate, deck, brighten, grace, renovate, paint, gild, enrich, primp, polish, array, garnish

Examples from the Web for pranking

Contemporary Examples of pranking

We wanted to touch base on everything—the jokes, the girls, pranking on each other.
Michael B. Jordan Talks About ‘Chronicle,’ ‘Red Tails,’ and ‘The Wire’
Maria Elena Fernandez
February 1, 2012

Historical Examples of pranking

He would never abuse an animal, unless, as in the Pain-killer incident, his tendency to pranking ran away with him.
Mark Twain, A Biography, 1835-1910, Complete
Albert Bigelow Paine
It was on a Wednesday that the pranking army of high-mettled warriors issued forth from the ancient gates of Antiquera.
Chronicle of the Conquest of Granada
Washington Irving
Perhaps it was a solemn farce enacted by pranking existences that throng the shadows lying along the border of another world.
The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce, Vol. II: In the Midst of Life: Tales of Soldiers and Civilians
Ambrose Bierce

British Dictionary definitions for pranking

prank

noun

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

Derived Formsprankish, adjective

Word Origin for prank

C16: of unknown origin

prank

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

Word Origin and History for pranking

prank

"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.