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  1. prank love

Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. n. A mischievous trick or practical joke.
  2. v. To decorate or dress ostentatiously or gaudily.
  3. v. To make an ostentatious display.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. To decorate; adorn; deck; especially, to deck out in a showy manner.
  2. To adjust; set in order.
  3. To present a showy or gaudy appearance; make a brilliant show.
  4. To be crafty or subtle.
  5. n. A playful or mischievous act; a trick played sometimes in malice, but more commonly in sport; an escapade; a gambol.
  6. n. Synonyms Whim, etc. (see freak), antic, vagary.
  7. Frolicsome; mischievous.

Wiktionary

  1. n. obsolete An evil deed; a malicious trick, an act of cruel deception.
  2. n. A practical joke or mischievous trick.
  3. v. transitive To adorn in a showy manner; to dress or equip ostentatiously.
  4. v. transitive To perform a practical joke on; to trick.
  5. v. transitive, slang To call someone's phone and promptly hang up
  6. adj. obsolete Full of gambols or tricks.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. v. To adorn in a showy manner; to dress or equip ostentatiously; -- often followed by up. See prink.
  2. v. To make ostentatious show.
  3. n. A gay or sportive action; a ludicrous, merry, or mischievous trick; a caper; a frolic.
  4. adj. obsolete Full of gambols or tricks.

WordNet 3.0

  1. v. dress or decorate showily or gaudily
  2. n. a ludicrous or grotesque act done for fun and amusement
  3. n. acting like a clown or buffoon
  4. v. dress up showily

Etymologies

  1. From Middle English pranken ("to adorn, arrange one's attire"), probably from Middle Dutch pronken, proncken ("to flaunt, make a show, arrange one's attire"). Cognate with Middle Low German prunken ("to flaunt"), German prunken ("to flaunt"), Danish prunke ("to make a show, prank"). Connected also with German prangen ("to make a show, be resplendent"), Dutch prangen ("to squeeze, press"), Danish pragt ("pomp, splendor"), all from Proto-Germanic *pranganan, *prangijanan, *prag- (“to press, squeeze, thring”), from Proto-Indo-European *brAngh- (“to press, squeeze”). Sense of "mischievous act" from earlier verbal sense of "to be crafty or subtle, set in order, adjust". See also prink, prance. (Wiktionary)
  2. Origin unknown.From Middle English pranken, to show off, perhaps from Middle Dutch pronken (from pronk, show, display) and from Middle Low German prunken (from prank, display). (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

Examples

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synonyms (5)

Words with the same meaning

  1. caper
  1. frolic
  1. jest
  1. ornament
  1. joke

hypernyms (22)

Words that are more generic or abstract

  1. grace
  2. decorate
  3. beautify
  4. ornament
  1. adorn
  2. embellish
  3. fancy up
  4. tog up
  1. fig out
  2. prink
  3. dress up
  4. trick up
  1. trick out
  2. deck up
  3. rig out
  4. attire
  1. gussy up
  2. getup
  3. overdress
  4. tog out
  1. deck out
  2. fig up

same context (24)

Words that are found in similar contexts

  1. frolic
  2. escapade
  3. antics
  4. mischief
  1. joke
  2. whim
  3. trick
  4. banter
  1. freak
  2. nonsense
  3. mirth
  4. grimace
  1. hoax
  2. pastime
  3. farce
  4. quip
  1. doings
  2. indiscretion
  3. folly
  4. gayety
  1. grin
  2. delusion
  3. twinkle
  4. wandering

rhymes (40)

Words with the same terminal sound

  1. Blanc
  2. Franck
  3. Frank
  4. Hank
  5. Montblanc
  6. Planck
  7. Ranke
  8. Yank
  1. antitank
  2. banc
  3. bank
  4. banke
  5. blanck
  6. blank
  7. brank
  8. clank
  1. crank
  2. dank
  3. drank
  4. flank
  5. franc
  6. frank
  7. hank
  8. interbank
  1. jank
  2. lank
  3. mank
  4. nonbank
  5. plank
  6. ranck
  7. rank
  8. sank
  1. shank
  2. shrank
  3. spank
  4. stank
  5. swank
  6. tank
  7. thank
  8. yank

reverse dictionary (48)

Words that contain this word in their definition

  1. practical joke
  2. schtick
  3. schtik
  4. shtick
  5. shtik
  6. jig
  7. escapade
  8. put
  9. firkery
  1. curvet
  2. caper
  3. to cut a caper
  4. trick
  5. madding
  6. monkey-shine
  7. prink
  8. shavie
  9. steracle
  1. put-on
  2. freak
  3. frolic
  4. gambol
  5. dido
  6. lark
  7. monkeyshine
  8. wedgie
  9. mischievous
  1. old hat
  2. shenanigan
  3. capriccio
  4. joke
  5. moon
  6. rag
  7. wicked
  8. innocent
  9. jest
  1. streak
  2. April fool
  3. monkey trick
  4. reak
  5. spitball
  6. perk
  7. pleasantry
  8. shine
  9. sport
  1. spree
  2. unhappiness
  3. whim

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Lists

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Comments

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  • yarb Your uncle, the mercer, regaled us yesterday with a fête champêtre, and paid the piper handsomely. There were ten of the best grown boys, and ten young girls, dressed out in pastoral weeds; all the frippery in his shop was brought out to prank them up.

    - Lesage, The Adventures of Gil Blas of Santillane, tr. Smollett, bk 2 ch. 9 Sep 13, 2008

  • brtom For he rolls upon prank to work it in. from Christopher Smart's Jubilate Agno ... clearly used in a more antique sense ... what is it?

    and also ... Let Anna bless God with the Cat, who is worthy to be presented before the throne of grace, when he has trampled upon the idol in his prank. Dec 30, 2007

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‘prank’ has been looked up 2639 times, loved by 1 person, added to 19 lists, commented on 2 times, and has a Scrabble score of 11.