Definition of shenanigan
1 : a devious trick used especially for an underhand purpose
2a : tricky or questionable practices or conduct —usually used in pluralb : high-spirited or mischievous activity —usually used in plural
From the M-W Editors
shenanigan was our Word of the Day on 04/01/2008. Hear the podcast!
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Examples of shenanigan in a Sentence
students engaging in youthful shenanigans on the last day of school
an act of vandalism that went way beyond the usual shenanigans at summer camp
Recent Examples of shenanigan from the Web
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Sick with the flu and at her wits end over Singer’s aforementioned room shenanigans, Frankel threw a lot of insults Singer’s way.
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There are absolutely no time travel shenanigans in Reeves' Ape trilogy, nor much of a chance for humans and apes to meet as equals.
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These giants hath not time for your semantic shenanigans.
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Truex’s teammates had aided his path into the playoffs, even though that team had no part in the shenanigans, and NASCAR kicked them out of the playoffs.
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To stop such shenanigans, baseball adopted the rule that requires the pitcher to be removed after a second mound visit in an inning by a manager or coach.
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Shenanigans aside, the guiding logic on the GOP leadership side here is simple.
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The only factor is the political shenanigans, policy uncertainty and the lack of leadership, which has hollowed out confidence both in the consumer and the investment community.
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Major Lazer Witnessing the type of shenanigans that Diplo and co. get into during their late-night set on Friday is one of the necessary experiences of Bonnaroo.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'shenanigan.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
The history of shenanigan is as tricky and mischievous as its meaning. Etymologists have some theories about its origins, but no one has been able to prove them. All we can say for certain is that the earliest known use of the word in print appeared in the April 25, 1855, issue of San Francisco's Town Talk. Although the "underhanded trick" sense of the word is oldest, the most common senses in use now are "tricky or questionable practices" (as in "political shenanigans") and "high-spirited behavior" (as in "youthful shenanigans").
Origin and Etymology of shenanigan
origin unknown
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