frolic

1 of 3

adjective

frol·​ic ˈfrä-lik 

: full of fun : merry

Contrasting the stern anxiety of his present mood with the frolic spirit of the preceding year …

—Nathaniel Hawthorne

frolic

2 of 3

verb

frolicked; frolicking

intransitive verb

1

: to amuse oneself : make merry

… wear funny hats, sing loudly … and frolic intensely.

—Michael T. Kaufman

2

: to play and run about happily : romp

children frolicking in the park

frolicker noun

frolic

3 of 3

noun

1

: a playful or mischievous action

2

a

: an occasion or scene of fun : party

b

: fun, merriment

Did you know?

Frolic is a word rooted in pleasure. Its most common function today is as a verb meaning “to play and move about happily,” as in “children frolicking in the waves,” but it joined the language in the 16th century as an adjective carrying the meaning of its Dutch source vroolijk: “full of fun; merry.” Shakespeare’s Puck used it this way in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, saying “And we fairies … following darkness like a dream, now are frolic.” Verb use quickly followed, and by the early 17th century the word was also being used as a noun, as in “an evening of fun and frolic.”

Synonyms of frolic

Adjective

• joyful
• exuberant
• lively
• frolicsome
• bubbly
• effervescent
• buoyant
• vivacious
• bouncy

Verb

• cavort
• dance
• romp
• hop
• gambol
• leap
• skip
• rollick
• lark
• caper
• tumble
• sport
• revel

Noun

• prank
• adventure
• trick
• escapade

Examples of frolic in a Sentence

Adjective

the frolic atmosphere that envelops New Orleans during Mardi Gras

Verb

We watched the seals as they frolicked in the harbor.

children frolicking in the yard

Noun

We went out for a frolic in the sun.

an evening of fun and frolic

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

With two separate houses, a rushing creek running through the grounds, and a sauna and a cedar barrel hot tub beside the water, the sprawling estate gave our group a place to gather (or rather, frolic) between outings. — Jessica Chapel, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Oct. 2026

On a sunny Saturday afternoon, a man and woman wearing masks approached a man at a sprawling park in an East Bay suburb where children gather to play baseball and soccer and frolic on the playground. — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026

Verb

On Wednesday, the actress took to social media to share a series of photos of herself frolicking around the Santa Monica Pier in a brunette wig while enjoying an afternoon with her best friend. — Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026

For Wolf, frolicking in mud is both literal and metaphorical. — Isabelle Farina, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026

Noun

The setting for this multi-generational frolic is a gorgeous Greek island that is nothing like ABBA’s homeland of Sweden. — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 18 Oct. 2026

Launched in 2001 in its distinctive black bottle—inspired by a neoprene wetsuit and scuba tank, naturally—Surf Spray turned a frolic in the waves into an everyday styling ritual. — Lauren Valenti, InStyle, 31 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective, Verb, and Noun

Dutch vroolijk, from Middle Dutch vrolijc, from vro happy; akin to Old High German frō happy

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1548, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1589, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1616, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for frolic

• colic
• moloch
• pollack
• alcoholic
• anabolic
• apostolic
• catabolic
• cytosolic
• diabolic
• diastolic
• ethanolic
• hyperbolic

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

frolic

1 of 2 verb

ˈfräl-ik

frolicked; frolicking

: to play about happily : romp

frolicker noun

frolic

2 of 2 noun

frol·​ic

1

: a playful or mischievous action

2

: a good time : fun