name · noun · verb · 20 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:läk
Received-Pronunciation:/lɑːk/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
General-American:lärk
General-American:/lɑɹk/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -ɑː(ɹ)k
homophone: lakh (one pronunciation)
homophone: lawk (cot–caught merger)
homophone: lock
homophone: Locke (father-bother merger)
CMU ARPABET:L AA1 R K
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
name
Meaning 1
A surname transferred from the nickname, from lark as a byname or for a catcher and seller of larks.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
name
Meaning 2
A surname originating as a patronymic shortened from Larkin, a medieval diminutive of Laurence.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
name
Meaning 3
A male given name transferred from the surname, of occasional usage.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
name
Meaning 4
A female given name from English from the lark bird.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
name
Meaning 5
A river in England, on the border between Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
name
Meaning 6
Alternative form of Larak (“island off the coast of Iran”).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: alt-of, alternative
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
7
noun
Meaning 7
Any of various small, singing passerine birds of the family Alaudidae.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
8
noun
Meaning 8
Any of various similar-appearing birds, but usually ground-living, such as the meadowlark and titlark.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
9
noun
Meaning 9
One who wakes early; one who is up with the larks.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: broadly
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: early bird, early riser
Antonyms: owl
10
noun
Meaning 10
A jolly or peppy person.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
11
noun
Meaning 11
A frolic or romp, some fun.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
12
noun
Meaning 12
A prank.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
13
verb
Meaning 13
To catch larks (a type of bird).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
Examples
to go larking
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
14
verb
Meaning 14
To sport, engage in harmless pranking.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
15
verb
Meaning 15
To frolic, engage in carefree adventure.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
16
noun
Meaning 16
any carefree episode
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: escapade
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: diversion, recreation
Narrower terms: sexcapade
17
noun
Meaning 17
any of numerous predominantly Old World birds noted for their singing
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: oscine, oscine bird
Narrower terms: skylark, Alauda arvensis
18
noun
Meaning 18
a songbird that lives mainly on the ground in open country; has streaky brown plumage
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: pipit, titlark
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: oscine, oscine bird
Narrower terms: meadow pipit, Anthus pratensis
19
noun
Meaning 19
North American songbirds having a yellow breast
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: meadowlark
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: New World oriole, American oriole, oriole
Narrower terms: eastern meadowlark, Sturnella magna, western meadowlark, Sturnella neglecta
20
verb
Meaning 20
play boisterously
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
The children frolicked in the garden
the gamboling lambs in the meadows
The toddlers romped in the playroom
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: frolic, rollick, skylark, disport, sport, cavort, gambol, frisk, romp, run around, lark about
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: play
History
Etymology
From Middle English larke, laverke, from Old English lāwerce, lǣwerce, lāuricæ, from Proto-West Germanic *laiwaʀikā, from Proto-Germanic *laiwazikǭ (compare dialectal West Frisian larts, Dutch leeuwerik, German Lerche), from *laiwaz (borrowed into Finnish leivo, Estonian lõo), of unknown ultimate origin with no definitive cognates outside of Germanic.
Uncertain, either * from a northern English dialectal term lake /laik (“to play”) (around 1300, from Old Norse leika (“to play (as opposed to work)”)), with an intrusive -r- as is common in southern British dialects; or * a shortening of skylark (1809), sailors' slang, "play roughly in the rigging of a ship", because the common European larks were proverbial for high-flying; Dutch has a similar idea in speelvogel (“playbird, a person of markedly playful nature”).
Across languages
Translations
158 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Albanian:
laureshë
— bird
Arabic:
قُبَّرَة
(qubbara)
— bird
Armenian:
արտույտ
(artuyt)
— bird
Azerbaijani:
torağay
— bird
Basque:
hegatxabal
— bird
Belarusian:
жа́варанак
(žávaranak)
— bird
Breton:
alc'hweder
— bird
Bulgarian:
чучули́га
(čučulíga)
— bird
Catalan:
alosa
— bird
Chinese Mandarin:
雲雀 /云雀
(yúnquè)
— bird
Czech:
skřivan
— bird
Danish:
lærke
— bird
Dutch:
leeuwerik
— bird
Esperanto:
alaŭdo
— bird
Estonian:
lõoke
— bird
Finnish:
kiuru
— bird
Finnish:
leivo
— bird
Finnish:
leivonen
— bird
French:
alouette
— bird
West-Frisian:
ljurk
— bird
Friulian:
lodule
— bird
Friulian:
odule
— bird
Galician:
laverca
— bird
Galician:
cotovía
— bird
Georgian:
ტოროლა
(ṭorola)
— bird
German:
Lerche
— bird
Greek:
κορυδαλλός
(korydallós)
— bird
Greek:
σταρήθρα
(staríthra)
— bird
Ancient Greek:
κορυδός
(korudós)
— bird
Ancient Greek:
κόρυδος
(kórudos)
— bird
Hungarian:
pacsirta
— bird
Icelandic:
lævirki
— bird
Irish:
fuiseog
— bird
Irish:
circín starraiceach
— bird
Italian:
allodola
— bird
Italian:
lodola
— bird
Japanese:
雲雀
(hibari)
— bird
Korean:
종다리
(jongdari)
— bird
Korean:
노고지리
(nogojiri)
— bird
Central Kurdish:
چوڕە
(çurre)
— bird
Ladino:
lodola
— bird
Latin:
alauda
— bird
Latvian:
cīrulis
— bird
Lithuanian:
vieversys
— bird
Lithuanian:
vyturys
— bird
Low German:
Lark
— bird
Low German:
Lurk
— bird
Low German:
Lörk
— bird
Low German:
Lörke
— bird
Low German:
Lerke
— bird
Low German:
Lewark
— bird
Low German:
Levark
— bird
Low German:
Levalk
— bird
Low German:
Lewrik
— bird
Low German:
Lewrink
— bird
Low German:
Leerk
— bird
Low German:
Lauerk
— bird
Low German:
Leving
— bird
Luxembourgish:
Léierchen
— bird
Macedonian:
чучулига
(čučuliga)
— bird
Maltese:
alwett
— bird
Maltese:
bilbla
— bird
Māori:
hīoi
— bird
Māori:
pīhoihoi
— bird
Māori:
whioi
— bird
Marathi:
चंडोल
(caṇḍol)
— bird
Norwegian Bokmål:
lerke
— bird
Norwegian Nynorsk:
lerke
— bird
Occitan:
alauseta
— bird
Occitan:
lauseta
— bird
Old English:
lāwerce
— bird
Old Norse:
lævirki
— bird
Persian:
چکاوک
(čakâvak)
— bird
Plautdietsch:
Leewoakj
— bird
Polish:
skowronek
— bird
Portuguese:
cotovia
— bird
Romani:
chirikli-gilibani
— bird
Romani:
chiriklo-gilibano
— bird
Romanian:
ciocârlie
— bird
Romansh:
lodola
— bird
Russian:
жа́воронок
(žávoronok)
— bird
Northern Sami:
leivvoš
— bird
Sardinian:
allòdola
— bird
Scots:
laverock
— bird
Scottish Gaelic:
uiseag
— bird
Serbo-Croatian:
шева
— bird
Serbo-Croatian:
шевpљугa
— bird
Serbo-Croatian:
ševa
— bird
Serbo-Croatian:
ševrljuga
— bird
Slovak:
škovránok
— bird
Slovene:
škrjanec
— bird
Lower Sorbian:
škobrjonk
— bird
Upper Sorbian:
škowrončk
— bird
Spanish:
alondra
— bird
Swedish:
lärka
— bird
Turkish:
tarla kuşu
— bird
Turkish:
çayır kuşu
— bird
Turkish:
toygar
— bird
Ottoman Turkish:
طویغار
(toygar)
— bird
Ottoman Turkish:
تارلا قوشی
(tarla kuşu)
— bird
Ottoman Turkish:
چایر قوشی
(çayır kuşu)
— bird
Ottoman Turkish:
چكیك
(çekik)
— bird
Ottoman Turkish:
قبر
(kuber, kubber)
— bird
Ukrainian:
жа́йворонок
(žájvoronok)
— bird
Vietnamese:
chim chiền chiện
— bird
Volapük:
laud
— bird
Welsh:
ehedydd
— bird
Bulgarian:
ранобудник
(ranobudnik)
— one who wakes early
Czech:
ranní ptáče
— one who wakes early
Dutch:
vroege vogel
— one who wakes early
Finnish:
aamuvirkku
— one who wakes early
French:
lève-tôt
— one who wakes early
German:
Frühaufsteher
— one who wakes early
German:
Lerche
— one who wakes early
Hungarian:
korán kelő
— one who wakes early
Hungarian:
pacsirta
— one who wakes early
Italian:
mattiniero
— one who wakes early
Lithuanian:
vyturys
— one who wakes early
Polish:
ranny ptaszek
— one who wakes early
Polish:
skowronek
— one who wakes early
Romanian:
persoană matinală
— one who wakes early
Russian:
жа́воронок
(žávoronok)
— one who wakes early
Spanish:
madrugador
— one who wakes early
Swedish:
lärka
— one who wakes early
Bulgarian:
лудория
(ludorija)
— romp, frolic, some fun
Bulgarian:
веселие
(veselie)
— romp, frolic, some fun
Czech:
legrace
— romp, frolic, some fun
Czech:
špás
— romp, frolic, some fun
Czech:
blbiny
— romp, frolic, some fun
Czech:
blbnutí
— romp, frolic, some fun
Dutch:
gedol
— romp, frolic, some fun
Finnish:
hullutus
— romp, frolic, some fun
German:
Spaß
— romp, frolic, some fun
Māori:
tuapa
— romp, frolic, some fun
Polish:
heca
— romp, frolic, some fun
Russian:
заба́ва
(zabáva)
— romp, frolic, some fun
Spanish:
diversión
— romp, frolic, some fun
Bulgarian:
шега
(šega)
— prank
Bulgarian:
закачка
(zakačka)
— prank
Czech:
žertík
— prank
Dutch:
vlerkenstreek
— prank
Finnish:
pila
— prank
Finnish:
kuje
— prank
German:
Streich
— prank
Māori:
hīanga
— prank
Russian:
шу́тка
(šútka)
— prank
Russian:
прока́за
(prokáza)
— prank
Spanish:
travesura
— prank
Dutch:
dollen
— sport, engage in harmless pranking
Finnish:
pilailla
— sport, engage in harmless pranking
Finnish:
kujeilla
— sport, engage in harmless pranking
Bulgarian:
лудувам
(luduvam)
— frolic, engage in carefree adventure
Bulgarian:
забавлявам се
(zabavljavam se)
— frolic, engage in carefree adventure
Czech:
dovádět
— frolic, engage in carefree adventure
Czech:
skotačit
— frolic, engage in carefree adventure
Dutch:
stoeien
— frolic, engage in carefree adventure
Finnish:
hullutella
— frolic, engage in carefree adventure
Finnish:
toilailla
— frolic, engage in carefree adventure