skylarking 1 of 2

noun

as in funning
wildly playful or mischievous behavior the players often engaged in a bit of roughhousing and skylarking before big games

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skylarking

2 of 2

verb

present participle of skylark
1
as in reveling
to engage in attention-getting playful or boisterous behavior couldn't resist the temptation to skylark as commencement ceremonies came to a close

Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in playing
to engage in activity for amusement he spends his time joking and skylarking, but his brother is serious and industrious

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for skylarking
  1. horseplay
  2. reveling
  3. playing
  4. joking
  5. horsing around
  6. frolicking
  7. clowning
  8. cutting up
Noun
  • Six months ago, Thomas drowned during rough horseplay in a pool.
    — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The video depicts a group of students engaged in horseplay, progressing to two 15-year-olds tussling and laughing, according to the suit.
    — Eric Peterson, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of horseplay
Verb
  • The video sweeps around a reveling fiefdom, showing everyone from peasants to dukes partying and getting it on.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Right in the middle of cheering, reveling masses was MARTA — a connective system of veins that efficiently moved the happy throngs.
    — Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of reveling
Verb
  • Saddiq Bey had 13 points for New Orleans, which was playing the opener of a two-game California trip.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 Nov. 2026
  • The digital creator has gone viral a number of times in the past for his whiteface sketches, from playing a rowdy redneck to Erika Kirk.
    — Marlow Stern, Variety, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of playing
Noun
  • As the audience applauded, Stewart launched into his joking eulogy.
    — Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Russell was mentioned in that speech, but in a joking way, playing off of how frequent Oscars director Glenn Weiss, who won for his role helming the 2018 Academy Awards telecast, had used his speech to propose to his then-girlfriend.
    — Hilary Lewis, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of joking
Verb
  • And lo, that’s how The Godfather wound up horsing around on a bouncy sorta-rap cut with London’s club muse and scene gadfly Normski.
    — Gabriel Szatan, Pitchfork, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Also, don’t get too out of control horsing around with friends in the water.
    — John Natale, Hartford Courant, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of horsing around
Verb
  • Hinterland Music Festival is headed back to Iowa next summer for another long weekend of middle-American field frolicking.
    — Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 11 Nov. 2026
  • Princess Anne would present trophies and Zara would compete, as photographers took pictures of Anne’s grandchildren frolicking.
    — Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of frolicking
Noun
  • On paper, the script didn’t seem that funny, and the looseness of it all — the clowning, the lack of a traditional plot structure — seemed kind of slapdash.
    — Victor Garber, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2026
  • After all, as observed in a recent article in New York magazine about clowning, stupidity is powerful resistance.
    — New York Times, New York Times, 24 June 2026
Definition of clowning
Verb
  • The board's original proposal called for cutting up to 18 English learner teachers across the district.
    — Beret Leone, CBS News, 30 Oct. 2026
  • It’s aimed at tasks like neatly cutting up deli meats and cheeses at your picnic or campsite.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of cutting up
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

skylarkers
skylarking
skylarks
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Cite this Entry

“Skylarking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skylarking. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

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