What does "prank" mean?

1. (a practical joke) a trick that you play on someone to make people laugh. 2. (to play a joke on someone) to play a trick on someone to make them look foolish. 3. (to dress up showily) to dress yourself in very bright or fancy clothes to get attention.

prank

n. · v.

US //ˈpɹæŋk// UK //pɹˈæŋk// prank

1 a practical joke (n.)
B1 Intermediate

a trick that you play on someone to make people laugh.

a practical joke or mischievous act intended to provoke laughter or surprise at the expense of a target.

Example

The students played a prank on their teacher by hiding all the whiteboard markers.

Example

What started as a harmless office prank quickly escalated when the manager failed to see the humour in having his desk wrapped in foil.
- trick
- practical joke
- hoax
2 to play a joke on someone (v.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Informal

to play a trick on someone to make them look foolish.

to subject someone to a practical joke or deceptive trick. Transitive — requires a direct object representing the person being tricked.

Example

He tried to prank his sister by putting a fake spider in her bed.

Example

The teenagers spent the evening trying to prank their friends with anonymous phone calls and edited photos.

Show 1 more senseShow fewer

3 to dress up showily (v.)
C2 Proficiency Archaic Literary

to dress yourself in very bright or fancy clothes to get attention.

to dress or adorn oneself in a showy, ostentatious, or vain manner. Often used with 'out' or 'up' in literary contexts.

Example

The young lord was pranked in his finest silk and gold for the festival.

Example

She sat before the mirror, pranking herself in jewels and velvet as if preparing for a royal audience rather than a simple dinner.
- adorn
- deck out
- preen

Origin

Origin uncertain. Perhaps from Middle English pranken (“to adorn, arrange one's attire”), probably from Middle Dutch pronken, proncken (“to flaunt, make a show, arrange one's attire”), related to German prangen (“to make a show, be resplendent”), Dutch prangen (“to squeeze, press”), Danish pragt (“pomp, splendor”), all from Proto-Germanic pranganą, prangijaną, prag- (“to press, squeeze, thring”), from Proto-Indo-European brengʰ- (“to press, squeeze”). Or, perhaps ultimately related to Proto-Germanic *brahtaz, similar to Dutch pracht (“splendor”), Swedish prakt (“glory, pomp”) (loaned from Low German). Cognate with Middle Low German prunken (“to flaunt”), German prunken (“to flaunt”), Danish prunke (“to make a show, prank”). Sense of "mischievous act" from earlier verbal sense of "to be crafty or subtle, set in order, adjust". See also prink, prance, prong.