Prank
/præŋk/
Definitions
2 meaningsA practical joke or trick, often intended to be amusing but sometimes causing minor harm or embarrassment.
/præŋk/
A mischievous act or joke.
The team decided to play a prank on their coach, hiding his favorite coffee mug.
💡 Simply: A prank is like when your friend ties your shoelaces together when you're not looking – it's a silly, unexpected trick to make you laugh (or maybe get a little surprised!).
👶 For kids: A prank is a funny trick you play on someone!
More Examples
The prank was designed to be silly, not harmful.
He spent all morning thinking up a creative prank.
How It's Used
"The students pulled a prank on the teacher, hiding all the classroom clocks."
"It was just a harmless prank, meant to lighten the mood."
To play a practical joke on someone.
/præŋk/
To play a prank on someone.
They decided to prank the office manager by moving his office to a different floor.
💡 Simply: To prank someone means to do a little trick on them, like the friends who put salt in someone's sugar bowl for a laugh.
👶 For kids: To prank is to play a funny trick on someone!
More Examples
The children pranked their parents by replacing the sugar with salt.
He was planning to prank his friends on their anniversary.
How It's Used
"The students pranked the new teacher by putting rubber duckies in their desk."
"He was known for his ability to prank anyone and get away with it."
Idioms & expressions
prank call
A telephone call made to someone as a joke, often with the intention of causing them some amusement or inconvenience.
"Kids sometimes make prank calls to people, but it's usually not nice."
April Fools' prank
A prank that is specifically performed on April Fool's Day.
"Every year, April Fools' Day pranks are designed to fool people."
From Middle Dutch *pranken* ('to show off, make a display'), related to the Germanic root *prang-* meaning 'to press, squeeze'. It originally referred to showing off or making a boast, but shifted to mischievous acts by the 19th century.
The word 'prank' in older texts sometimes referred to showing off or boasting, but it evolved into its current meaning of a mischievous trick by the 19th century.
Memory tip
Think of a 'prank' as a playful attempt to 'rankle' someone with a lighthearted trick.
Word Origin
"To show off, make a display; related to the Germanic root *prang-* meaning 'to press, squeeze'"