frisk

1 of 2

verb

ˈfrisk How to pronounce frisk (audio)
frisked; frisking; frisks
Synonyms of frisknext

transitive verb

: to search (a person) for something (such as a concealed weapon) by running the hand rapidly over the clothing and through the pockets

intransitive verb

: to leap, skip, or dance in a lively or playful way : gambol
frisker noun

frisk

2 of 2

noun

1
: an act of frisking
2
a
: gambol, romp
b
: diversion
c
archaic : caper entry 1 sense 3

Synonyms

Verb

Noun

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

Examples of frisk in a Sentence

Verb carefree kids laughing and frisking about in their backyard Noun fondly remembers the summer before he started college as one long frisk
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Verb
The lawyer also stated that the women were restrained and frisked by male officers, even though female officers were present. —Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 2 Nov. 2024 British soldiers, brought in to suppress a Catholic civil-rights movement, ran checkpoints, frisked young men, and stopped drivers for the smallest infractions. —Maggie Doherty, The New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2024
Noun
And much like stop and frisk, police disproportionately stop Black drivers in Chicago, according to our latest study examining racial bias in traffic enforcement. —David Levinson, The Conversation, 27 Sep. 2024 Trump also suggested stop and frisk for Chicago in a 2018 speech. —Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY, 29 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for frisk 

Word History

Etymology

Verb

obsolete frisk lively

First Known Use

Verb

1519, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun

1525, in the meaning defined at sense 2c

Time Traveler
The first known use of frisk was in 1519

Dictionary Entries Near frisk

Frisii

frisk

frisket

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Frisk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frisk. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

frisk

verb
ˈfrisk
1
: to move around in a lively or playful way
2
: to search (a person) quickly especially for concealed weapons
frisker noun

Legal Definition

frisk

transitive verb
: to run the hand rapidly over the outer clothing of (a suspect) for the purpose of finding concealed weapons compare search

Note: The purpose of frisking a suspect is to insure the safety of an officer making an investigation against concealed weapons, not to uncover evidence. The officer must be justified in his or her encounter of the suspect and must have a reasonable suspicion that the suspect is armed. The scope of the frisk must be limited to the discovery of weapons.

frisk noun

More from Merriam-Webster on frisk

Nglish: Translation of frisk for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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