Meaning & use
frolicking
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“frolicking” is a form of “frolic”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbintransitiveliterary
Playing and moving about happily and with plenty of energy.
Grammar: No object; often followed by a place word: frolicking in the snow.
Patterns
- frolic in something
- frolic with someone
The puppies were frolicking in the garden.
Children were frolicking in the waves.
Lambs frolicking in the meadow made everyone smile.
verbintransitivehumorous
Joining in lively, playful or silly fun, especially at a party or celebration.
Grammar: Suggests carefree fun, sometimes a little foolish.
Patterns
- frolic around
- frolic about
Guests were frolicking around the pool until midnight.
They spent the weekend frolicking in the countryside.
The couple went frolicking through the park.
Word forms
| base form | frolic |
|---|---|
| third person singular | frolics |
| past tense | frolicked |
| past participle | frolicked |
Common combinations
- frolicking in the snow
- The kids were frolicking in the snow.
- frolicking in the waves
- Dolphins were frolicking in the waves.
- frolicking around
- The kittens were frolicking around the living room.
- frolicking in the meadow
- Lambs were frolicking in the meadow.
- frolicking with friends
- She spent summer frolicking with friends.
Synonyms and how they differ
- romping
- Romping suggests rough and noisy play, often by children or animals, while frolicking is lighter.
- gambolling
- Gambolling means skipping about, especially of young animals, and is more literary.
- playing
- Playing is the everyday word and does not suggest lively, carefree movement.
- cavorting
- Cavorting suggests excited, sometimes showy prancing about.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: frolicking or frolic vs. frolick?
frolicking vs frolic vs. frolick
The base verb is spelled 'frolic' and adds a k only before -ed and -ing, giving frolicked and frolicking.
Practice
The spelling of the past form of 'frolic' is ___.
Choose one answer.
Words ending in -c add a k before -ed, so the past form is frolicked. The other forms are misspellings.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “frolicking”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.