Definition of horseplay
:rough or boisterous play
What's Trending Now
More Trending Words
Explore M-W
Examples of horseplay in a Sentence
The lamp got broken when the kids were engaging in a little horseplay.
when he saw us spraying each other with the hose instead of washing the car, Dad yelled, “Cut out the horseplay!”
Recent Examples of horseplay from the Web
-
A felony accusation is just standard, brotherly horseplay.
-
Defense attorney Gregory P. Isaacs said the state can't prove that the horseplay of the boys, ages 17 and 15, that sparked a fire in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park caused the deadly wildfires in Gatlinburg, Tenn., five days later.
-
Defense attorney Gregory P. Isaacs, at a news conference Friday, said the state can’t prove that the horseplay of the boys sparked a fire in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park that caused the deadly wildfires in Gatlinburg five days later.
-
Roser was watching the horseplay when the hammer struck him, Uhlir said; the weight barely missed another volunteer and, after striking Roser, continued on to hit another young man in the head, causing minor injuries.
-
Spanier, who denies any wrongdoing, has said Curley and Schultz characterized the 2001 incident in the shower as horseplay and not any form of child abuse.
-
Malcolm P. Smith, Paris, Ky. RE: THE ETHICIST Kwame Anthony Appiah counseled a letter writer who was unsure how to handle her daughter’s discomfort with her father’s horseplay.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'horseplay.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of horseplay
1589
horseplay Synonyms
Synonyms
buffoonery, clownery, clowning, foolery, high jinks (also hijinks), horsing around, monkey business, monkeying, monkeyshine (s), roughhouse, roughhousing, shenanigan (s), skylarking, slapstick, tomfooleryRelated Words
childishness, clownishness, foolishness, funning, jesting, joking, nonsense, silliness, waggery; boisterousness, rambunctiousness, rowdiness, rowdyism, rumbustiousness [chiefly British]; devilry (or deviltry), impishness, knavery, mischief, mischievousness, prankishness, rascality, roguery, roguishness, trickery; cavorting, frivolity, frolicking, gamboling (or gambolling), merrymaking, playfulness, revelry, roistering, romping, sporting, sportivenessHORSEPLAY Defined for English Language Learners
HORSEPLAY Defined for Kids
Learn More about horseplay
-
See words that rhyme with horseplay Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for horseplay Spanish Central: Translation of horseplay Nglish: Translation of horseplay for Spanish speakers
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up horseplay? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
