frisk
frisk
Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
IPA: /frɪsk/
/f/: The 'f' sound, as in "fast."
/r/: The 'r' sound, as in "run."
/ɪ/: The 'i' sound (short i), as in "sit."
/s/: The 's' sound, as in "soap."
/k/: The 'k' sound, as in "kite."
Word Form Variations
Singular (Noun) / Base (Verb): frisk
Plural (Noun): frisks
Third-person Singular (Verb): frisks
Past Tense (Verb): frisked
Present Participle (Verb): frisking
Adjective: frisky
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Verb
Definition: To quickly pat down or search the outside of someone's clothing to check for concealed items, usually weapons or contraband.
Synonyms: pat down, search, check, inspect
Antonyms: ignore, overlook, disregard
Definition: (Often of an animal or person) To leap, skip, or move about playfully and energetically. 🤸
Synonyms: frolic, gambol, romp, caper, bound, prance
Antonyms: mope, sulk, trudge, plod
Noun
Definition: The act of patting down or searching someone's outer clothing.
Synonyms: pat-down, search, inspection, check
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms for the noun form)
Definition: A playful, energetic jump or leap; a frolicsome movement.
Synonyms: romp, caper, gambol, frolic
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms for the noun form)
Examples of Use
In News and Online Publications (Meaning: To Search)
On law enforcement policy: "The judge found the department’s 'stop-and-frisk' tactics unconstitutional..." (The New York Times, August 2013). This refers to the controversial police practice of temporarily detaining, questioning, and patting down individuals.
In crime reporting: "Officers stopped the vehicle and asked the man to step out. After frisking him, they found a concealed weapon."
On security procedures: "Going to the concert was an ordeal; security had to frisk every single person at the gate before letting them in."
In Entertainment (Meaning: To Search)
In television (police procedural): A detective might say to their partner, "Frisk him," after catching a suspect, indicating they should pat them down for weapons or evidence. (Common trope in shows like Law & Order or Blue Bloods).
In film (spy thriller): A protagonist entering a villain's high-security lair might be told, "Place your hands against the wall. We're going to have to frisk you."
In video games: A game objective might instruct the player to "Approach the guard and perform a frisk" to obtain a keycard.
In Literature (Meaning: To Frolic)
Describing animals: "The young lambs were frisking in the meadow, leaping into the air for no apparent reason other than sheer joy."
Describing children: "She watched the children frisk and play on the sunlit beach, their laughter mixing with the sound of the waves."
As a character's name: A playful or energetic pet in a story might be named "Frisky," derived directly from this verb.
In General Public Discourse (Both Meanings)
Meaning 1 (Search): "I hate flying now. You get scanned, frisked, and questioned just to get on the plane. It feels so invasive."
Meaning 2 (Frolic): "My new puppy just frisks around the yard all day. He has endless energy."
10 Famous Quotes Using Frisk
"I think 'stop-and-frisk' is a vital tool to keep people safe." (Michael Bloomberg, August 2013)
"The City’s highest officials have turned a blind eye to the evidence that stop-and-frisk stops are race-based." (Judge Shira Scheindlin, Floyd v. City of New York ruling, August 2013)
"I would do stop-and-frisk." (Donald Trump, September 2016)
"The first thing he did was to frisk a little, and then he said, 'How are you?'" (A. A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh)
"The Monks of Cool, whose tiny heated triangles of rock held up the unstable multiverse, were obviously the wrong people to frisk." (Terry Pratchett, Thief of Time)
"We will not frisk you... You may be armed." (Odo, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, "The Forsaken")
"They only wanted to frisk me... looking for the microfilm, of course." (Len Deighton, The IPCRESS File)
"He saw the lambs frisk by the side of their mothers, and the shepherd stealing glances at his bonny lass." (James Hogg, The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner)
The border guard has the right to stop and frisk anyone behaving suspiciously.
Released into the backyard, the overjoyed puppy began to frisk and leap in the tall grass.
Etymology
The etymology of "frisk" is a great example of how one word can split into two very different meanings.
At its core, "frisk" comes from a Germanic root meaning "fresh."
Think of the word "fresh" as in "new," "lively," or "energetic." This idea of freshness is the key.
The word traveled from an old Germanic language into Old French as frisque, which meant "lively, brisk, or merry."
Around the early 1500s, it entered English as the verb "to frisk." Its first known meaning was "to dance, leap, or move about playfully." You can easily see the connection: a person or animal full of "fresh" energy would leap and frolic. This is the same root that gives us the word "frisky."
The noun form, meaning "a playful leap," appeared shortly after, in the 1520s.
So, how did we get from "playful leaping" to "patting someone down"?
This second meaning didn't show up until much later, around 1781. The exact connection isn't perfectly clear, but the most accepted theory is that it evolved from the idea of quick, light, or "brisk" movements.
Imagine a police officer or a security guard quickly running their hands over someone's clothes. This "brisk" and rapid hand movement was likely described as "frisking," borrowing the word from its "quick, lively movement" sense. Over time, this specific type of quick search became the dominant meaning in legal and security contexts, eventually becoming the "stop-and-frisk" we know today.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Frisk
Stop-and-frisk (A specific, well-known law enforcement policy of stopping a person to question them and patting them down for weapons.)
Give someone a frisk (To perform a pat-down search on someone.)
A quick frisk (A brief, cursory search of someone's outer clothing.)
Feeling frisky (Feeling playful, energetic, or amorous.)
As frisky as a lamb (A simile describing someone or something as very lively, playful, and energetic.)
A frisk in the park (A playful romp or run, often referring to a dog or child.)
Give someone a pat-down (A synonym phrase for giving someone a frisk.)
Full of beans (An idiom for being energetic, lively, and "frisky.")
Kicking up one's heels (To frolic, celebrate, or behave in a high-spirited, "frisky" way.)
Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed (An idiom for being awake, alert, and full of energy, similar to "frisky.")
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of frisk from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
