frolic
Americannoun
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merry play; merriment; gaiety; fun.
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a merrymaking or party.
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playful behavior or action; prank.
verb (used without object)
adjective
noun
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a light-hearted entertainment or occasion
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light-hearted activity; gaiety; merriment
verb
adjective
Other Word Forms
- frolicker noun
Etymology
Origin of frolic
1530–40; < Dutch vrolijk joyful (cognate with German fröhlich ), equivalent to vro glad + -lijk -ly
Explanation
A frolic is a light-hearted, fun, often silly activity. To frolic is to cavort, romp, or run around — to have fun. Ever see two puppies playing in the park, wrestling, chasing, and just having a ball with each other? You could say they're having a frolic or frolicking. When we frolic, we're having a fun time. Flying a kite, playing frisbee, skipping around, and having a picnic could be examples of frolics. If things are grim and serious, or you're in a bad mood, then it's tough to frolic. This is one of the happiest, most playful words in the dictionary.
Vocabulary lists containing frolic
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This was not the barefoot frolic I knew from picnics, not the game of lazy parabolas.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 9, 2025
The bonus is the space: PlayLab’s indoor play space is designed for young children to frolic and, in this case, witness dads build their emotional muscles.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2025
There, the boys frolic and dream amid cinder block walls.
From New York Times • Apr. 18, 2024
With this multitude of bright blossoms and fragrant flowers surrounding me, I can almost forget my drippy sinuses and frolic in appreciation of the season.
From Salon • Mar. 21, 2024
Cilia reported to Johnny that Lieutenant Stranger did, indeed, attend Miss Lavinia’s handsome frolic and a more gloomy young man she had never seen.
From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
