: trick:
a
obsolete
: a malicious act
b
: a mildly mischievous act
He enjoys playing/pulling pranks on his friends.
c
: a ludicrous act
pranked; pranking
1
transitive
: to play a trick or prank on (someone)
… you feel shock, dismay, then anger as it dawns on you that you've been pranked …—
Lucius Shepard
Lucius ShepardOn the day of the ceremony, a stuntwoman pal, dressed to look like Swanson, kicked things off by pranking the audience and falling down a flight of stairs. (The crowd went from gasping to laughing once the ruse was revealed.)—Lorenzo Benet
Lorenzo Benet2
pranked; pranking; pranks
: to show oneself off
: to dress or adorn gaily or showily
Examples of prank in a Sentence
Noun
He enjoys playing pranks on his friends.
as a prank, several students managed to change all the classroom clocks to different times
Recent Examples on the Web
Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2026
Fashion audiences have been skeptical or even suspicious of his work, accusing Demna of designing these enormous sneakers and blobby silhouettes to play some kind of prank on rich people delusional enough to buy the stuff.
—Rachel Tashjian, CNN Money, 27 Feb. 2026
Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 2 Mar. 2026
At the end of his interview, Skarsgård told Colbert a heartbreaking story about his childhood friend pranking him by leading him to believe that his crush was reciprocating his feelings.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for prank
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Noun
In the novel, Amanda and Oliver attempt to get Eloise to leave by way of some nasty pranks, but Book Eloise remains undeterred and, in fact, loves the challenge of trying to both one-up and win over the twins.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2026
Fashion audiences have been skeptical or even suspicious of his work, accusing Demna of designing these enormous sneakers and blobby silhouettes to play some kind of prank on rich people delusional enough to buy the stuff.
—Rachel Tashjian, CNN Money, 27 Feb. 2026
Verb
To some degree, the speculation that Carrey was pranking us was understandable.
—Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 2 Mar. 2026
At the end of his interview, Skarsgård told Colbert a heartbreaking story about his childhood friend pranking him by leading him to believe that his crush was reciprocating his feelings.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for prank
Cite this Entry
“Prank.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prank. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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