frolic

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adjective

frol·ic ˈfrä-lik

Synonyms of frolic

: full of fun : merry

Contrasting the stern anxiety of his present mood with the frolic spirit of the preceding year …—Nathaniel Hawthorne

frolic

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verb

frolicked; frolicking

intransitive verb

: to amuse oneself : make merry

I didn't choose the school so I could frolic in the quad—Hugh Gallagher

: to play and run about happily : romp

children frolicking in the park

frolicker noun

frolic

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noun

: a playful or mischievous action

: an occasion or scene of fun : party

: fun, merriment

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

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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

The video cuts between scenes that are soaked in cold blue hues and others that are hyper-realistic, where the couple runs through city streets and frolic through parks. —Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 21 Mar. 2025 Neighbors drift from apartment to apartment, frolicking or fighting, partying more than working, as the day drags on like a high that won’t go away. —Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Mar. 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