as in joking
wildly playful or mischievous behavior
when he saw us spraying each other with the hose instead of washing the car, Dad yelled, "Cut out the horseplay!"
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of horseplay
And yes, there were cases on public roads where the horseplay turned dangerous.
—
Mark Price, Miami Herald, 22 Jan. 2025
On my gondola, however, horseplay is not only encouraged, it is required.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 24 Sep. 2024
The action anime feature for everyone who couldn’t get enough of the horseplay in The Two Towers has finally cantered onto Max.
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 1 Mar. 2025
Key speeches are faithfully delivered to an audience of two, not thousands; a scene of soldiers destructively revelling on a bridge is given a different spirit by ironic, out-of-time horseplay.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 8 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for horseplay
Mark Price, Miami Herald, 22 Jan. 2025
On my gondola, however, horseplay is not only encouraged, it is required.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 24 Sep. 2024
The action anime feature for everyone who couldn’t get enough of the horseplay in The Two Towers has finally cantered onto Max.
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 1 Mar. 2025
Key speeches are faithfully delivered to an audience of two, not thousands; a scene of soldiers destructively revelling on a bridge is given a different spirit by ironic, out-of-time horseplay.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 8 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for horseplay
Recent Examples of Synonyms for horseplay
Noun
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This makes the roughhouse ballet a satisfying bridge to the final scene in Roberta’s room, where their vulnerabilities are revealed.—
Peter Marks,
Washington Post,
14 Nov. 2023
-
Weighing between eight and 10 pounds, these pooches are not ideal for young kids who tend to roughhouse.—
Country Living,
Country Living,
1 May 2023
Noun
-
Idris Elba is the British prime minister (and ex-soldier) who has no time for his tomfoolery.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
12 July 2025
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Sadly, the Academy has released no rules preventing the tomfoolery that led to two leading actors winning the Supporting categories this year.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
21 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The other person who spoke in South Carolina, Tim Walz, is a special mixture of extreme buffoonery and a mean spirit, which is a toxic brew.—
Jenny Goldsberry,
The Washington Examiner,
1 June 2025
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Certainly hope none of you will be complicit in this buffoonery.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
23 May 2025
Noun
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Tirhakah Love is a senior writer at New York Magazine and the host of the new evening newsletter Dinner Party, a daily email that touches on all things entertainment — that means film, television, music, tech, and gaming — plus politics and corporate clownery.—
Vulture,
Vulture,
29 Apr. 2022
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The Winx Club live action is a big clownery!—
Olivia Truffaut-Wong,
refinery29.com,
25 Jan. 2021
Noun
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There’s some slapstick comedy and threatening language that may need to be discussed with younger kids.—
Lynnette Nicholas,
Parents,
18 July 2025
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This is the kind of transformation the Rockies, who took Condon with the third pick in the ’24 Draft and signed him with a $9.25 million bonus, desperately need to go from slapstick comedy to serious contenders.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
13 July 2025
Noun
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Do a direct export from the original system—no monkey business.—
James Bickerton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 July 2025
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The brand’s monkey business button-up collared shirt was worn by Blackpink’s Lisa in one of the opening scenes of the premiere episode.—
Julia Teti,
WWD,
19 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Horseplay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/horseplay. Accessed 25 Jul. 2025.
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