horseplay

noun

horse·play | \ ˈhȯrs-ˌplā

How to pronounce horseplay (audio)

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Definition of horseplay

: rough or boisterous play

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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 on the Web

While many view what happened at old Comiskey Park that night as horseplay run amok, other ascribe less benign sentiments to what transpired and what fueled it. — Phil Rosenthal, chicagotribune.com, "White Sox and Steve Dahl defend Disco Demolition T-shirt giveaway amid criticism: 'What happened?'," 12 June 2019 An announcer blares introductions happening off-camera—presumably far enough away from the Prince and Princess that their horseplay would go unnoticed. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "Prince Charles Pranking Princess Anne Is the Best Thing You'll See Today," 8 Nov. 2018 Spanier, who did not take the stand in his own defense, has said Sandusky's attack on the boy, whose identity remains in dispute, was characterized to him as horseplay. — NBC News, "Ex-Penn State president Spanier, convicted over Sandusky complaint, loses appeal," 26 June 2018 Logan Melgar were wrestling at 4 a.m. when a fellow SEAL Adamcranston Matthew came in and joined in the horseplay. — NBC News, "Military investigating if two Marines played role in Green Beret's death," 10 May 2018 Amid the horseplay in this deranged horse opera, there’s also a poignant moment — part tribute, part torch-passing — in Act 2, when a large photo appears onstage of Larry Coen. — Don Aucoin, BostonGlobe.com, "It’s a wild, wild West in Landry’s ‘Brokelahomo!’," 2 May 2018 There are no details in the suit on what the boys were actually doing as part of that horseplay, but Simmons provided some clarification to the Statesman on Friday. — Katy Moeller, idahostatesman, "Ridgevue football player accused of sexual harassment in 'horseplay' incident sues school district," 27 Apr. 2018 Nelson Candelario, his defense team highlighted witnesses who said the death was caused by horseplay, not intentional murder. — Carl Prine, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Stabbing suspect faces murder charges at Camp Pendleton; defense says it was horseplay gone wrong," 26 Apr. 2018 There’s no horseplay, no banter, no jokes, As there was in the brighter part of the day. — Hartford Courant, courant.com, "A Celtic Medley: Poems By James Mele," 11 Mar. 2018

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.

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Statistics for horseplay

Last Updated

28 Jun 2019

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Time Traveler for horseplay

The first known use of horseplay was in 1589

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More Definitions for horseplay

horseplay

noun

English Language Learners Definition of horseplay

: rough or loud play : energetic and noisy playful activity

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

horseplay

noun

horse·play | \ ˈhȯrs-ˌplā

\

Kids Definition of horseplay

: rough play

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