frolic

1 of 3

adjective

frol·​ic ˈfrä-lik How to pronounce frolic (audio)
: full of fun : merry
Contrasting the stern anxiety of his present mood with the frolic spirit of the preceding year …Nathaniel Hawthorne

frolic

2 of 3

verb

frolicked; frolicking

intransitive verb

1
: to amuse oneself : make merry
I didn't choose the school so I could frolic in the quadHugh Gallagher
2
: to play and run about happily : romp
children frolicking in the park
frolicker noun

frolic

3 of 3

noun

1
: a playful or mischievous action
2
a
: an occasion or scene of fun : party
b

Did you know?

Frolic is a word rooted in pleasure. Its most common function today is as a verb meaning “to play and run about happily,” as in “children frolicking in the waves,” but it joined the language in the 16th century as an adjective carrying the meaning of its Dutch source vroolijk: “full of fun; merry.” Shakespeare’s Puck used it this way in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, saying “And we fairies … following darkness like a dream, now are frolic.” Verb use quickly followed, and by the early 17th century the word was also being used as a noun, as in “an evening of fun and frolic.”

Examples of frolic in a Sentence

Adjective the frolic atmosphere that envelops New Orleans during Mardi Gras Verb We watched the seals as they frolicked in the harbor. children frolicking in the yard Noun We went out for a frolic in the sun. an evening of fun and frolic
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.
Adjective
Pods of porpoises frolic, and a playful minke whale shimmers in the afternoon sun. Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Sep. 2024 Parent heaven: a place to hang out under shade trees while the little ones frolic. Sarah Shemkus, BostonGlobe.com, 21 June 2023
Verb
An early video from Honduras feels like a tourist-board commercial, with Bishop and followers frolicking in the river. David Peisner, Rolling Stone, 23 Feb. 2025 At the Bronx Zoo in New York City, snow leopards and bears enjoyed frolicking in the flurries Tuesday. Patrick Smith, NBC News, 12 Feb. 2025
Noun
The team of researchers released video footage capturing almost a decade of the small white creatures’ arctic frolics, providing a rare look at how polar bear cubs behave when emerging from their dens. Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 28 Feb. 2025 The young lead has a wonderfully magnetic presence, veering between youthful frolic and pensive gloom, even though the film rarely creates circumstances where the latter makes sense. Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 18 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for frolic

Word History

Etymology

Adjective, Verb, and Noun

Dutch vroolijk, from Middle Dutch vrolijc, from vro happy; akin to Old High German frō happy

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1548, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1589, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1616, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of frolic was circa 1548

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Cite this Entry

“Frolic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frolic. Accessed 15 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

frolic

1 of 2 verb
ˈfräl-ik
frolicked; frolicking
: to play about happily : romp
frolicker noun

frolic

2 of 2 noun
frol·​ic
1
: a playful or mischievous action
2
: a good time : fun

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