horseplay

H4O1R1S1E1P3L1A1Y4

noun

Rough or rowdy play that can often result in unintentional physical harm.

“Near-synonym: play fight”

Similar
horsing aroundroughhousinghorse aroundroughhouseplay fight
UncommonScrabble 17
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Meanings

nounhorseplay (uncountable)

alternative horse-play

  1. uncountableRough or rowdy play that can often result in unintentional physical harm.

    After a little horseplay and floating around, April said "Look over there, it's our skinny dipper." […]

    2016 June, Roger Riffelmacher, Rogg's Bar And Grill, AuthorHouse, →ISBN, →OCLC, →ISBN

    Synonyms: horsing around, roughhousing

verbhorseplay (third-person singular simple present horseplays, present participle horseplaying, simple past and past participle horseplayed)

present singular third person horseplays · participle present horseplaying · participle past horseplayed · past horseplayed · alternative horse-play

  1. intransitiveTo engage in horseplay.

    Near-synonym: play fight

    1 more example

    [S]he arose at seven o'clock and spent the first hour preparing pancakes while Al and Albert horseplayed.

    2004, Kyle Longley, Senator Albert Gore, Sr.: Tennessee Maverick, page 136

    Synonyms: horse around, roughhouse, play fight

Synonyms & antonyms

nounRough or rowdy play that can often result in unintentional physical harm.

Similar
horsing aroundroughhousing

verbTo engage in horseplay.

Similar
horse aroundroughhouseplay fight
Also see
funplay fightroughhouse

Origin

A compound of horse + play, possibly from observation of boisterous horses playing, or from its attributive sense "strong, big or coarse".

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian груба шега, лудория
  • груба шега (gruba šega)rough or rowdy play
  • лудория (ludorija)rough or rowdy play
Czech dovádění, vylomeniny
  • dováděnírough or rowdy play
  • vylomeninyrough or rowdy play
Finnish hevosenleikki
  • hevosenleikkirough or rowdy play
French chahut, jeu de chien
  • chahutrough or rowdy play
  • jeu de chienrough or rowdy play
  • chahuterto engage in horseplay
German Unfug, Herumgealber
  • Unfugrough or rowdy play
  • Herumgealberrough or rowdy play
  • raufento engage in horseplay
Irish pleidhcíocht
  • pleidhcíochtrough or rowdy play
Polish harce, swawola
  • harcerough or rowdy play
  • swawolarough or rowdy play
  • harcowaćto engage in horseplay
Spanish pelea, camorra
  • pelearough or rowdy play
  • camorrarough or rowdy play
  • pelearto engage in horseplay
Cite this entry
APA

horseplay. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/horseplay

MLA

“horseplay.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/horseplay. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “horseplay,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/horseplay.

Source: horseplay on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.