MEANING
1. To search someone’s clothed body by touch for hidden weapons or other concealed objects.
2. To move about in a lively, playful way, often with small jumps or sudden turns.
Use it for
describing a physical security search; showing someone checking for concealed weapons; distinguishing a body search from looking through baggageSeparates lively playful movement from a hands-on search for concealed objects. Writing functions: Movement and physical interaction.
Words that belong together
- frisk a suspect
- frisk someone for weapons
- a quick frisk
On the page
The guard frisked each visitor before opening the inner door.
After a quick frisk, the officer returned the man’s coat.
The lambs frisked in the strip of sunshine beside the wall.
The dog frisked around her boots, scattering the fallen leaves.
Word forms
- Base
- frisk
- Past tense
- frisked
- Past participle
- frisked
- Present participle
- frisking
Usage notes
Verb: frisk, frisks, frisked, frisked, frisking; future will frisk. Search sense transitive; playful-movement sense intransitive. Count noun frisk/frisks can name a quick body search. Register: neutral. Commonness: moderately common (qualitative editorial estimate, informed by dictionaries/corpus).
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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