rollick

American  

[rol-ik] / ˈrɒl ɪk /

verb (used without object)

1. to move or act in a carefree, lively, or joyful manner.

   The foals rollicked in the pasture.

   The concert-goers rollicked until the wee hours.

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rollick British  

/ ˈrɒlɪk /

verb

1. (intr) to behave in a carefree, frolicsome, or boisterous manner

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noun

1. a boisterous or carefree escapade or event

Other Word Forms

• rollicker noun

Etymology

Origin of rollick

First recorded in 1820–30; origin uncertain, perhaps blend of romp and frolic

Explanation

When you rollick, you have a fabulously fun time. You probably won't rollick during quiet reading time at school, but you'll have a chance to rollick at your best friend's roller disco party. People rollick during parties and dances, while they play active games, and even when they're watching hilariously funny movies. You can also say cavort, revel, or frolic—and experts guess that rollick comes from a combination of the words frolic and roll. The adjective rollicking is more common than the verb, and predates it by about 15 years.

Example Sentences

Elsewhere he compares himself to gothic writer Edgar Allen Poe, while another line says “I rollick and I frolic with all the young dudes”, a reference to David Bowie’s song All the Young Dudes.

From The Guardian • Apr. 17, 2020

Featuring 14 actors who rollick around and amid the audience areas and band pit, channeling 60-plus characters, the staging brightens and complements Bertolt Brecht’s all-too-relevant fable about power, self-interest, callousness and social inequality.

From Washington Post • Mar. 1, 2018

Because it’s at this point in the book that things begin to really rollick.

From Slate • Aug. 5, 2014

After 250 pages of determined intellectual rollick, Mr. Glassie turns serious in his conclusion, depicting Kircher as a noble seeker stranded on the wrong side of the scientific revolution.

From New York Times • Dec. 30, 2012

Next thing they were up in musty blackness, swinging silver hatchets at doors that were, after all, unlocked, tumbling through like boys all rollick and shout.

From "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury