shenanigan
Americannoun
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Usually shenanigans.
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mischief; prankishness.
Halloween shenanigans.
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deceit; trickery.
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a mischievous or deceitful trick, practice, etc.
noun
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(usually plural) roguishness; mischief
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an act of treachery; deception
Etymology
Origin of shenanigan
An Americanism dating back to 1850–55; of obscure origin
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.
A markup shenanigan nearly happened to me at a different Maryland dealer long ago when I used to finance my car purchases.
From Washington Post • Oct. 21, 2022
After he was placed in jail following that latest shenanigan, it seemed as though there might be less opportunity for Manafort to embarrass himself through easily discovered efforts to monkey with his case.
From Slate • Jul. 11, 2018
“I had to Google what that thing was, the whole shenanigan was, what the meaning was,” he says.
From The Guardian • May 20, 2016
That sort of shenanigan may not be the future of college sports, but we may be getting closer to the day when money isn’t a four-letter word for student-athletes.
From Time • Feb. 25, 2015
Every soldier said, "O, shucks; that is all shenanigan," for we knew that we had never met the enemy or fired a gun outside of a little skirmishing.
From "Co. Aytch" Maury Grays, First Tennessee Regiment or, A Side Show of the Big Show by Watkins, Sam R.
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.
