frisk

verb

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\ ˈfrisk

frisked; frisking; frisks

Definition of frisk

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

frisk

noun

Definition of frisk (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : an act of frisking

2a : gambol, romp

b : diversion

c archaic : caper entry 1 sense 3

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Synonyms for frisk

Synonyms: Verb

Synonyms: Noun

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 Stop and frisk: a legitimate law enforcement tool or an inappropriate use of police power? — Arkansas Online, "An important tool," 5 Dec. 2020 One officer approached the boy and asked for his age, and then proceeded to frisk the boy's upper body and waist, the report states. — Eric Levenson, CNN, "An 8-year-old was handcuffed for carrying a stick. The case is one of dozens of NYPD complaints, review board finds," 8 June 2020 In 2016, Philly For REAL Justice launched their #RizzoDown campaign, gathering every Thursday from 4 to 6 PM in front of the municipal building to call for removal of the Rizzo statue and an end to stop and frisk. — refinery29.com, "Frank Rizzo’s Statue Was An Ode To White Supremacy — & It Never Should Have Existed," 3 June 2020 Muslims were also frisked before and after services. — Vanessa Taylor, The New Republic, "Leaving No Others Behind This Ramadan," 23 Apr. 2020 The landmark case found that the Fourth Amendment is not violated when a police officer stops a suspect on the street and frisks them without probable cause. — Fox News, "What is Stop-and-Frisk? Controversial policing technique explained," 11 Feb. 2020 Over the next 25 minutes, Lea was pulled from his car, frisked and handcuffed. — Mike Trautmann, The Courier-Journal, "From El Mencho to Bevin's pardons: 10 Courier Journal investigations that defined 2019," 31 Dec. 2019 Patients who come to Srinagar’s hospitals are stopped and frisked by Indian soldiers at several places. — Washington Post, "Kashmir’s streets silent as people’s despair and rage grow," 10 Aug. 2019 The report found that officers' narratives were lacking the details necessary to establish reasonable suspicion that the people being frisked were armed or immediately dangerous to those around them. — Elliot Hughes, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "8 in 10 Milwaukee police stop-and-frisk incidents lack documented justification, report on ACLU lawsuit says," 19 Feb. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The police department is already under a federal monitor overseeing reforms after its stop-and-frisk policy was declared unconstitutional by a federal judge. — NBC News, "New York attorney general sues NYPD to install monitor, alleges years of civil rights abuses," 14 Jan. 2021 The city and the department have faced lawsuits, including over stop-and-frisk policies. — Anchorage Daily News, "Family calls for justice, not murder charge, in Philadelphia police shooting of Black man in distress," 30 Oct. 2020 At the peak of stop-and-frisk in 2011, officers made 685,724 stops. — New York Times, "Police Body Cameras Cited as ‘Powerful Tool’ Against Stop-and-Frisk Abuses," 30 Nov. 2020 Aldrete highlighted her work on the ACLU stop-and-frisk settlement agreement and the independent investigations into police misconduct undertaken by the commission. — Alison Dirr, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Public defender Leon Todd appointed to head Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission, pending council approval," 25 Nov. 2020 Constituents in Philadelphia overwhelmingly voted to ban stop and frisk policies that disproportionately target Black people and people of colour. — Elly Belle, refinery29.com, "Good News: The U.S. Election Saw Some Major Wins For Criminal Justice & Policing," 9 Nov. 2020 The ACLU of Pennsylvania has released multiple reports on the police's use of stop and frisk policy with its latest finding that 71% of all stops and 82% of frisks involve Black Philadelphians. — Nicole Chavez, CNN, "Unrest after Walter Wallace Jr. shooting boiled over from the disconnect between a Philadelphia community and police," 1 Nov. 2020 The city and the department have faced lawsuits, including over stop-and-frisk policies. — Anchorage Daily News, "Family calls for justice, not murder charge, in Philadelphia police shooting of Black man in distress," 30 Oct. 2020 The city and the department have faced lawsuits, including over stop-and-frisk policies. — Anchorage Daily News, "Family calls for justice, not murder charge, in Philadelphia police shooting of Black man in distress," 30 Oct. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'frisk.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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“Frisk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frisk. Accessed 5 Mar. 2021.

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More Definitions for frisk

frisk

verb

English Language Learners Definition of frisk

: to pass your hands over (someone) to search for something that may be hidden in clothing

See the full definition for frisk in the English Language Learners Dictionary

frisk

verb

\ ˈfrisk

frisked; frisking

Kids Definition of frisk

1 : to move around in a lively or playful way

2 : to search a person quickly for something that may be hidden

frisk

transitive verb

Legal Definition of frisk

: 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.