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

• hop
• dance
• skip
• gambol
• leap
• caper
• frolic
• cavort
• cut capers
• lark
• romp

Noun

• 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

Some detainees were ordered to put their hands up against a bus as they were frisked and then shackled around their hands, ankles and waist. —Jason Ma, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2025

Dugan was soon frisked and handcuffed with her hands behind her back and led to a waiting car. —Cary Spivak, jsonline.com, 3 July 2025

Noun

Solutions wanted Commissioners said the two recent shootings and others in the Free Press investigation appeared to begin with pretext or stop-and-frisk style stops. —Violet Ikonomova, Freep.com, 24 Oct. 2025

What began as a political slogan became a 50-year campaign of punishment in Black communities, carried out through surveillance, racial profiling, stop-and-frisk, and the rise of specialized police task forces. —Josiah Bates, Time, 14 Oct. 2025

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

Rhymes for frisk

• bisque
• brisk
• disc
• disk
• fisc
• fisk
• risk
• whisk
• basilisk
• videodisc

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