French word

canular

Pronunciation

IPA/kanylaʁ/

Meaning

  • masculine nounprank

Example

Il a fait un canular à son ami.

He played a prank on his friend.

Illustration for canular (prank)

More examples

Il a passé un canular téléphonique au bureau hier soir.

He made a prank call to the office yesterday evening.

Core concept

A false report or staged trick wearing the appearance of ordinary truth until the target is caught out.

Common phrases

  • faire un canular

    pull a prank

  • passer un canular téléphonique

    make a prank call

Similar words

blague: A short joke intended to make people laugh.
farce: An elaborate prank staged to surprise someone.
plaisanterie: A lighthearted joke made in a casual tone.
hoax: False information or a fabrication created to deceive people.

Definition in French

Action de présenter une information fausse comme vraie ou de tromper une personne pour surprendre ou amuser.

Word origin

French records place canular in nineteenth-century slang, where it named a prank or hoax; no deeper derivation is certain.

Usage tips

  • French commonly uses faire un canular à quelqu'un for playing a prank on someone, with the person introduced by à.

Other meanings

  • hoaxnoun
  • prank callnoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word