Meaning & use
larking
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“larking” is a form of “lark”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
verbintransitiveinformalBritish
Behaving in a playful, silly way, often when you should be doing something serious; the -ing form of 'lark' used with 'about' or 'around'.
Grammar: No object; usually followed by about or around: the boys were larking about.
Patterns
- be larking about
- lark around
The boys were larking about by the river instead of studying.
Stop larking around and help me carry these boxes.
We spent the afternoon larking about in the snow.
Word forms
| base form | lark |
|---|---|
| third person singular | larks |
| past tense | larked |
| -ing form | larking |
Common combinations
- larking about
- They were larking about in the playground.
- larking around
- Quit larking around and listen to the instructions.
- larking in the garden
- The children were larking in the garden all afternoon.
- always larking about
- Those two are always larking about at the back of the class.
Synonyms and how they differ
- messing about
- Messing about is more common and can also mean wasting time, while larking suggests playful fun.
- fooling around
- Fooling around is the American equivalent but can also hint at flirting, which larking does not.
- playing around
- Playing around is neutral and general, while larking sounds more mischievous.
Opposites
Word family
- lark noun/verb
- a bit of fun or a prank; or to play about
- larky adjective
- playful and mischievous
Commonly confused: larking or lurking?
larking vs lurking
Lurking means waiting out of sight, usually with bad intent, while larking means playing in a silly way.
Practice
Choose the best word: The students were ___ about in the hall when the teacher walked in.
Choose one answer.
Larking about means playing in a silly way. 'Lurking about' also exists but means hiding or waiting suspiciously, which does not fit the playful setting.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “larking”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.