noun
prank war
PRANK WAWR
Prank war (noun) means an escalating run of practical jokes between two people or groups, each answering the last one with something bigger. Example: “The prank war between the two halls of residence ended with a car in the library foyer.”
noun
1
An escalating run of practical jokes between two people or groups, each answering the last one with something bigger.
"The prank war between the two halls of residence ended with a car in the library foyer."
"What started as clingfilm on a toilet seat turned into a six-month prank war."
How to use prank war
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA back-and-forth contest of playing tricks on each other.
When to use it
Informal.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
start a prank war
escalating prank war
an all-out prank war
declare a prank war
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The _____ between the two halls of residence ended with a car in the library foyer.
Etymology
A compound of prank and war, using war in its common figurative sense of a sustained back-and-forth contest.
Synonyms
View more →
prank feud
Frequently asked questions
How do prank wars usually start?
Almost always with one small joke that the target decides to answer rather than laugh off. Because each side has to top the last effort to keep score, the stakes rise quickly, which is why prank wars tend to end in damage or a ban rather than a truce.
What is the difference between a prank war and bullying?
A prank war runs both ways between roughly equal parties who are both willing participants. Once the jokes travel in one direction only, or the target wants them to stop and they do not, it is bullying regardless of what the person doing it calls it.
What is the meaning of prank war?
"prank war" (noun) means an escalating run of practical jokes between two people or groups, each answering the last one with something bigger.
What is another word for prank war?
Other words for "prank war" include prank feud.
