Meaning

A practical joke or mischievous trick..

Definitions by Sense

1. A practical joke or mischievous trick.
2. (obsolete) An evil deed; a malicious trick, an act of cruel deception.
3. (transitive) To perform a practical joke on; to trick and make a fool of someone.
4. (transitive, slang) To call someone's phone and hang up before they answer, so as to send them a notification (of a missed call) without incurring fees.
5. (transitive, archaic) To adorn in a showy manner; to dress or equip ostentatiously.
6. (intransitive) To make an ostentatious show.

Example Sentences

play a prank

pull a prank on someone

He pulled a gruesome prank on his sister.

His pranks have been too broad to bear with.

The harpies […] played their accustomed pranks.

She played a cruel prank on him.

Lilius Geraldus ſaith,that Hercules after all his mad prankes vpon his wife and children, was perfectly cured by a purge of Hellebor,which an Anticyrian adminiſtred vnto him.

“If someone’s pranking me,” Rowlands remembered thinking, “they’re going to great lengths to make it work.”

Word Forms

• pranks
• pranking
• pranked
• prankt

Synonyms for prank

Related Words

When Should You Use Prank?

Use prank when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

Practice This Word

Frequently Asked Questions