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 of frisk

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

When the 12-year-old girl gets out of the car still holding her phone, the officer immediately starts frisking her. —Carol Thompson, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026

On the airport tarmac, Feliciano watched as members of his team frisked and chained detainees before they were loaded onto a charter flight headed to a centralized deportation facility in Texas. —Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 13 Dec. 2025

Noun

The findings and recommendations were released in December 2024, 10 months after the stop-and-frisk incident involving Jones' daughter. —Carol Thompson, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026

After exiting their cruiser, officers approached the teen and upon further investigation, performed a frisk of the individual, leading to the recovery of a loaded firearm. —Colleen Cronin, Boston Herald, 24 Dec. 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