shenanigan
noun
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The history of shenanigan is as tricky and mischievous as its meaning. Etymologists have some theories about its origins, but no one has been able to prove them. All we can say for certain is that the earliest known uses of the word in print appeared in the mid-1800s. Although the "underhanded trick" sense of the word is oldest, the most common senses in use now are "tricky or questionable practices" (as in "political shenanigans") and "high-spirited behavior" (as in "youthful shenanigans").
Synonyms
Examples of shenanigan in a Sentence
Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 1 Apr. 2024
Part 2: Pregame shenanigans Where to pregame for the Reds' Opening Day game
The party doesn't stop after the Opening Day parade.
—Grace Tucker, The Enquirer, 26 Mar. 2024
Between that, and her throwing her chicken cutlets at you, this felt like peak Drag Race shenanigans.
—Stephen Daw, Billboard, 19 Mar. 2024
Social media ‘shenanigans’ Years passed — and the brothers kept turning down offers for the James card.
—Daniel Miller, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024
In the film, the grandmothers spend their days reading the paper, throwing two-person dance parties and pulling other shenanigans while ending their nights by sleeping in the same bed.
—Andrew Blankstein, NBC News, 11 Mar. 2024
The administrative complaint also alleged paperwork lies and shenanigans by Seduction and Sampson.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 5 Mar. 2024
Keen to catch the red-carpet shenanigans beforehand?
—Vogue, 4 Feb. 2024
Marc Piasecki Something tells us Mossy doesn't have much of a sense of humor about these types of shenanigans but probably just won't care.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 4 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shenanigan.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near shenanigan
Cite this Entry
“Shenanigan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shenanigan. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
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