frisk

1 of 2

verb

ˈfrisk 

frisked; frisking; frisks

transitive verb

: to search (a person) for something (such as a concealed weapon) by running the hand rapidly over the clothing and through the pockets

intransitive verb

: to leap, skip, or dance in a lively or playful way : gambol

frisker noun

frisk

2 of 2

noun

1

: an act of frisking

2

a

: gambol, romp

b

: diversion

c

archaic : caper entry 1 sense 3

Synonyms

Verb

• caper
• cavort
• disport
• frolic
• gambol
• lark
• rollick
• romp
• sport

Noun

• binge
• fling
• frolic
• gambol
• idyll
• idyl
• lark
• ploy
• revel
• rollick
• romp
• spree

Examples of frisk in a Sentence

Verb

carefree kids laughing and frisking about in their backyard

Noun

fondly remembers the summer before he started college as one long frisk

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

As one of the officers frisked him, Benton pulled the Smith & Wesson .40 from his waistband and began firing, according to court testimony and other records. —Vernal Coleman, ProPublica, 27 Mar. 2024

As the lights came up, an old man dozed while a teenage boy and girl frisked nearby in an unconvincing body of water. —Jesse Green, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

obsolete frisk lively

First Known Use

Verb

1519, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun

1525, in the meaning defined at sense 2c

Kids Definition

frisk

verb

ˈfrisk

1

: to move around in a lively or playful way

2

: to search (a person) quickly especially for concealed weapons

frisker noun

Legal Definition

frisk

transitive verb

: to run the hand rapidly over the outer clothing of (a suspect) for the purpose of finding concealed weapons compare search

Note: The purpose of frisking a suspect is to insure the safety of an officer making an investigation against concealed weapons, not to uncover evidence. The officer must be justified in his or her encounter of the suspect and must have a reasonable suspicion that the suspect is armed. The scope of the frisk must be limited to the discovery of weapons.

frisk noun