Thesaurus results for HORSEPLAY

horseplay

noun

ˈhȯrs-ˌplā

Definition of horseplay

as in roughhousing

wildly playful or mischievous behavior when he saw us spraying each other with the hose instead of washing the car, Dad yelled, "Cut out the horseplay!"

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of horseplay When horseplay turns into an impromptu hookup, neither of the young men fight the urge. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 17 June 2026 After France’s 4-3 victory against Argentina at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, horseplay between the players at the team hotel culminated in back-up centre-back Adil Rami setting off a fire extinguisher in the early hours of the morning. — Tom Williams, New York Times, 17 May 2026 Once, before the stabbing, Malik chased Yahkeim with a knife during horseplay. — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 5 May 2026 Those dousings also prompted outrage from police leaders — who decried it as an inexcusable sign of disrespect, and even suggested that officers willing to walk away from that kind of horseplay should consider another line of work. — Anthony Izaguirre, Fortune, 26 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for horseplay

Recent Examples of Synonyms for horseplay

Noun

As expected, Aussies brought the roughhousing.

— Sean Gregory, Time, 20 June 2026
The boys challenge each other to throw heavy objects, which leads to intense roughhousing.

— Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 27 Jan. 2026

Definition of roughhousing

Noun

Russell was mentioned in that speech, but in a joking way, playing off of how frequent Oscars director Glenn Weiss, who won for his role helming the 2018 Academy Awards telecast, had used his speech to propose to his then-girlfriend.

— Hilary Lewis, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2026
Arch Manning's joking comments at a news conference about a fake video of coach Steve Sarkisian slapping ESPN reporter Holly Rowe erupted in controversy.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of joking

Noun

On paper, the script didn’t seem that funny, and the looseness of it all — the clowning, the lack of a traditional plot structure — seemed kind of slapdash.

— Victor Garber, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2026
After all, as observed in a recent article in New York magazine about clowning, stupidity is powerful resistance.

— New York Times, New York Times, 24 June 2026

Definition of clowning

Noun

The boys still have room to roughhouse—and even space to set up their Ping-Pong table near the living area.

— Jody Garlock, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 June 2026
This is why some people work nine hours a day, go to the gym, and roughhouse with their kids in the evening, while others already feel tired just thinking about this daily schedule.

— Lieke ten Brummelhuis, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025

Definition of roughhouse

Noun

After the film’s theatrical release on June 26, the decades-long saga of pranks and tomfoolery is finally coming to an end.

— Isabelle Farina, Variety, 9 Sep. 2026
New assistant coach Alice Chilton is a blatant remodeling of Roy Kent — a brusque ex-soccer player who’s reluctant to engage with Ted’s tomfoolery or personal prodding — but Tanya Reynolds’ performance is equal turns wounded and witty.

— Ben Travers, IndieWire, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of tomfoolery

Noun

Allow Yahya Abdul-Mateen II to clarify his remarks about Aquaman being the work of clowns with… some clownery.

— Jessica Wang, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2022
Chronicle Books In the world of clownery, tradition has long dictated that a clown must never steal another clown’s look.

— Constance Grady, Vox, 20 Aug. 2018

Definition of clownery

Noun

The film is a wild, frequently grotesque spectacle that careens between horror, action, slapstick, and black comedy.

— Lisa Wong Macabasco, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026
Those visual gags feel like an odd fit for the material; Ishiguro is known more for low-grade existential sadness than slapstick.

— Natasha O'Neill, Vanity Fair, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of slapstick

Browse Nearby Words

horsemen

horseplay

horsepower

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Horseplay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/horseplay. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of horseplay

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

shindig

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes